Demons in the Dark
by Sabriel207
Summary: Picks up straight after the end of Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness. Having survived the battle at the Strahov, Lara and Kurtis team up to investigate the Cabal and take down Karel. Will they be able to stop the rise of the Nephilim? With help from new allies along the way, their adventure will take them around the world and finally into Turkey.
1. Chapter 1

The arena was quiet.

As her gasps broke the silence, Lara struggled for air, gripping her stomach. Had that really just happened?

It didn't matter how many times she was faced with supernatural, apocalyptic events. Each time she was faced with the end of the world, she was overcome with a sense of disbelieving horror. How many near-misses was that now? She'd lost count. Nevertheless, she had learned that life went on. The people of Prague were, for example, no doubt oblivious to how close they'd come that night.

Lara's gaze fell on Kurtis' weapon, lying in a pool of blood on the arena floor. Her gut lurched. Although she barely knew him, she didn't imagine he'd have left it behind willingly.

Scanning the room, she noticed the corpse of the creature that was once Kristina Boaz lying on the floor near Kurtis' blood. He clearly hadn't gone down without a fight. Advancing carefully, it occurred to her that this could be a trap. Years of bitter experience had taught her never to assume it was over, that she was safe. She may have succeeded in defeating Eckhardt and Karel, but the Strahov still held many dangers, not least the abomination that took down her partner.

Creeping closer, she noticed the pod was empty, as it had been when she had witnessed Boaz being devoured by it. Nearby lay another body, something between a woman and a huge locust, with claws like a preying mantis. Boaz. Feeling a twinge of sympathy for the woman, Lara decided it was safe to assume Kurtis had finished the creature off.  
At last she crossed to the pool of blood, kneeling to pick up the disc-shaped weapon Kurtis had wielded so skilfully. She slotted her fingers into the holes in the disk and almost dropped it when the blades sprang free. The weapon began to hum. She felt it pull, almost like a magnet, and standing up she allowed it to direct her movement. Spinning around, she felt the object pull her with urgency towards a tunnel leading out of the arena. Maybe Kurtis wasn't done just yet, then. The blades snapped back, satisfied, as Lara began to move cautiously towards the tunnel. She found herself smiling a little, hopeful that she might find her partner alive somewhere in the Strahov.

Clipping the weapon to one of the hooks on her utility belt, she pulled a flare from her backpack to light her way. The tunnel was wide, almost cavernous. The sickening, iron smell of blood reached her and she began to fear the worst.

All other thoughts fled her mind as she turned a corner and found what she was looking for.

Kurtis was propped against a wall, face a mask of agony. He was clutching his middle, and she could hear his shaky breaths from where she stood 100 feet away.

"About time, Croft. I'm bleeding out here."

Ignoring his smart remark, she closed the distance between them in a few short strides and knelt beside him.

"Show me."

His hands shook as he removed them from the wound, and Lara hissed in sympathy when she saw what he was hiding. The front of his t shirt was soaked through with blood, which was spurting from a significant hole in his abdomen. Leaning closer, she quickly understood what had happened. He'd been run through, probably with one of the claws she'd seen on Boaz's corpse. She had to act fast, or he had no chance.

"Right. I'm going to wrap this, and then we're going to get you to a hospital."

She took his hands and pressed them back to the wound on his front. "Keep pressure on this while I get my first aid kit."

He nodded, and she set about her task. As she worked, she glanced up and saw his eyes focused on the weapon clipped to her belt.

"I found it in the arena. Figured you'd like it back."

He gave her a knowing look. Realisation dawned as she tore off a strip of bandage. She glanced back at him.  
"You made it move, you guided me to you, didn't you?"

He nodded. "Handy little thing, isn't it?"

He almost seemed afraid to ask the next question. "Eckhardt…?"  
"Dead. I'll tell you the whole story…later."

After wrapping gauze and bandages tightly around him, she gently leaned him back against the wall.

"Can you move?"

He nodded, eyes closed.

"Ok, we need to find a way out of this hell hole. Preferably a quick and easy one. Any ideas?"

"Teleportation?"

"Not an option today I'm afraid. Unless that's another one of your special powers?"

"Afraid not."

"Right. Guess the only thing for it is to get moving then. Ready?"  
She gently slipped an arm around his shoulders and helped him to his feet. He stood up with surprising ease for someone with such a serious injury, and they made their way slowly down the passage.

Lara was strong, but she wasn't sure how long she could go on supporting his weight like this. More to the point, she wasn't sure how long Kurtis would last. Knowing it was crucial for him to stay conscious, she kept conversation going between them.

"So what's it like being a knight of the Lux Veritatis?"

"I don't feel like that title really suits me."

 _Hmm, sore spot?_ She filed it away for later, trying a different topic.

"How do you control this thing?" she asked, referring to the weapon still clipped to her belt.

"My Chirugai? It's hard to explain. It's linked to my telekinesis, but it's also sort of in my blood. It can't be controlled by anyone outside the Order. And by the way, I know what you're doing."

She glanced at him, and suddenly noticed how close their faces were together. His was getting paler by the minute, and appeared glossy with sweat. She felt a flash of guilt, and not for the first time she wondered why he had saved her, and faced Boaz alone.

"Good, then you know it's important you keep talking. Tell me about the…Chirugai. What's it made of?"

"It's a meteorite alloy. It's extremely old, and from my experience so far it's virtually indestructible. I haven't had it very long, so I'm still learning really. Been meaning to do a bit of research into it actually, if I make it out of here alive…"

Lara was about to tell him to think positively when she noticed the tunnel getting brighter. Was it possible? Could there be an exit somewhere down here? They were so deep underground she found it hard to believe.

Shortly, they came to a dimly lit section of tunnel, and finally there was an end in sight. There was what looked like a service elevator at the other end of the corridor. _Hallelujah,_ thought Lara. _Not a moment too soon._ Hoping the collection of security passes she had been gathering over the past few hours would activate the lift, she scanned the sides of the thing as they reached it. Sure enough, there was a card reader to the right hand side. Kurtis transferred his weight to the wall, allowing her to search for the right swipe card. She breathed a sigh of relief when the high security pass she had stolen from one of the guards brought a green flash from the card reader. The sound of cranking machinery told her the elevator was on its way to them.

Lara supporting Kurtis' weight again, they entered the lift, and she selected "0". As the lift rose, she started to worry about how they would get to the hospital - she had very limited knowledge of Prague, and no clue how she was going to find one in time.

When the elevator doors sprang open with a ping, Lara realised that was the least of her worries. The pair found themselves staring down the barrels of several guns as they were confronted by police in riot gear, and after that, everything was chaos.


	2. Chapter 2

It didn't take long to convince the police of her innocence, once investigators reached the lower levels of the Strahov. Frankly, she had been a ridiculous candidate for the Monstrum in the first place. A focus point for the police so they appeared to be getting somewhere, she thought bitterly.

After long and tedious hours spent between an interview room and a fairly grim cell, Lara was finally set free. She had been informed that her partner made it through surgery and was recovering at Prague's Central Military Hospital. There would be a lot more administration to deal with in the coming days and weeks, but she didn't want to think about that right now. There was a lot to tell Kurtis, most importantly Karel's revelation. The potential that he was still out there. The fact that he was most likely the one who killed Kurtis' father. That was going to go down well.

At this stage Lara was running on pure adrenaline. She hadn't slept in days, and was sporting a number of superficial injuries that were just enough to make her uncomfortable. Speaking of discomfort, her clothes were torn, dirty and covered here and there with blood. She decided she was running the risk of being turned away from the hospital in her current state and delayed visiting Kurtis just long enough to make contact with home, asking a relieved Winston to wire her some money. This wasn't the first time one of her adventures had left her without money or a phone, but it was the first time she'd been on the run from the law. Almost a week with no money or contact with the rest of the world.

A quick trip to Republic Square and she had obtained a clean change of clothes, and as an afterthought she grabbed a change of clothes for Kurtis. She'd spent enough time carrying him to guess his size pretty accurately. Not to mention those tense moments in the airlock when she'd literally been sizing him up. She figured he'd appreciate not having to wear a top with a giant, pincer-sized hole in it whenever he was well enough to move.

It occurred to her briefly that he might have family or friends, and that she might arrive to find someone else had already taken care of this, but she wrote that idea off fairly quickly. Instinct told her that Kurtis was even more of a loner than she was.

Suddenly there was nothing she wanted more than a shower, and she checked into the first decent looking hotel she found.

An hour and three cups of coffee later, showered and changed and feeling distinctly more human, she hopped in a taxi to the hospital. Dressed in grey jeans, a black t shirt, boots and a leather jacket, she followed the directions of the receptionist to Kurtis' ward.

It had been at least 12 hours since the police had swept her partner away from her to the emergency room. With an injury like his, Lara hardly expected him to be conscious. However, to her great surprise, when she walked into the room she found him sitting up in bed, reading the newspaper. emGuess he speaks Czech/em, she thought, adding that little nugget to her mental file on him.

He looked up as she entered, and when he saw her his mouth turned up slightly at the corners. She'd seen that look on his face once before - in the Louvre, right before he threw himself twenty feet down a flight of stairs like it was nothing. She never would have expected to be seeing that mischievous grin mere hours after he'd been at death's door.

"Guess I'm calling off that prison break I was planning eh?"

She grinned, sitting down in the chair beside his bed. "I'm not sure you're in any state to break someone out of prison, Kurtis. Come to think of it, I'm pretty amazed you're sitting here reading the paper like you weren't just run through by a creepy mutant…care to explain?"

Kurtis sighed. "Yeah, about that. I'm going to have to get out of here fairly quickly, because the doctors are freaking out. I came out of surgery a few hours ago, and apparently I should be in a coma, but here I am. Not sure my ancestors would appreciate some Czech medical journal outing them after hundreds of years of keeping our powers quiet."

Lara's eyes widened as her suspicions were confirmed. She leaned closer to him.

"So I can add lightning quick healing to your already impressive arsenal of supernatural powers?"

"Um, yeah."

"Well it certainly explains why I found you alive. I honestly didn't think it was possible to lose that much blood and live. So, we're looking at a hospital break?"

He nodded. "Problem is I'm not exactly sure where to next."

…and there it was. The man had no idea that his work was still not done, that Karel had been the one behind everything and, given he was nowhere to be found when the police excavated the Strahov, he was still out there. Lara wasn't sure now was the time to break it to him, but decided to give him the cliff notes version before they made any decisions about moving him. At least if the news had a negative effect there were medical professionals nearby…

When she was done, Kurtis leaned back on the headboard and closed his eyes. He hadn't said a word while she spoke. After a long moment during which he took several deep breaths, he seemed to compose himself.

"This really isn't my day." He opened his eyes slowly, looking at her with a weak smile.

"Listen Croft, you should go home. This is way bigger than both of us but only one of us was born into it. You can get back to your normal life, whatever that involves…" There was a slight question in his voice, and she realised they still hadn't done the whole getting to know each other thing. They'd been through a near-death experience together, but she still didn't even know his last name. While she considered her response, she glanced at the file at the foot of his bed. Trent. Kurtis Trent.

Of course, there was only one response to his statement.

"Get real, Kurtis. I know we just met, but do I honestly seem like the kind of person who's going to just slink back to my home and forget this ever happened?"

He let out a short laugh. "I had to say it."

"Fair enough, duly noted, and so on. Look, we have a lot to talk about, and we can't really do it here," she cast a look around the empty hospital ward, "Certainly not if we want to avoid them poking and prodding you looking for the secret to your powers. I have a hotel room nearby. We can regroup there."

She produced the clothes she had bought him. "Put these on, you'll be a lot less conspicuous without blood all over you."

"You went clothes shopping for me? Croft, I hate to break it to you, but the position of my Mom is already taken."

She threw him an irritated look. "Careful, Trent, or I might leave you here to fill the position of Lab Rat."

He grinned, enjoying the banter. Not ready to dispel the somewhat flirtatious atmosphere that had rekindled between them, he cleared his throat.

"What?"

"Can a guy get some privacy? I'd rather the first time you see my naked ass not be through the back of a hospital gown. I want it to be special."

Was she blushing? Equal parts angry and turned on, Lara sprang from her seat and pulled the curtain around the bed. When she was safely out of his sight, she touched a hand to her cheek, which was suddenly burning. It had been a long time since a man had gotten such a reaction from her. She suddenly felt about 12 years old. The fact that she had to fight to suppress a giggle only served to make her angrier.

He was trouble, she just knew it.

It was surprisingly easy to get out of the hospital. Presumably none of the doctors who wanted to keep him there expected Kurtis would be able to get up and walk away, his miraculous survival notwithstanding. A short taxi drive later, they were back in Lara's hotel room.

"Cosy."

"It's not much, but it's home" she said as they entered and she threw her backpack on a chair. Now that they were here, the bed was looking extremely inviting. She was dead on her feet, but suddenly felt awkward. The bed was king size, and more than big enough for both of them, but the thought of sharing a bed with him made her feel things. Things that one shouldn't feel for one's business partner. And, as she told him in the airlock, this was business. Of course, it had been a lie then and it was a lie now.

"Lara. You look like you're about to keel over." His voice startled her, and she realised he'd been standing in front of her, assessing her. He was uncomfortably close, and as she looked up into his blue eyes she felt an electric jolt of desire. A long moment passed, and she knew he was in the same boat.

 _You just met the guy Lara, for fuck's sake,_ she scolded herself. _Truth be told you're running a high risk inviting him into your hotel room, let alone considering bedding him here._

The innate trust between them seemed to be a consequence of their shared experience, but that didn't stop logic invading her brain. She pushed it away. She had always relied on her instincts, and they were telling her she could trust Kurtis.

"Right. Yeah. I guess going the guts of a week without any sleep will do that to you."

All the humour was gone from his face, replaced by compassion.

"You've been through a hell of a lot. It's probably going to hit you like a ton of bricks any minute now, speaking from personal experience. Get some rest."

"What about you?"

"I'll stand watch."

She studied him. Moving from his hospital bed to the hotel seemed to have taken a lot out of him. He was pale.

"Kurtis, are you sure we should have moved you? You look awful."

The mischievous grin was back, though less convincing when coupled with his tired expression. He closed his eyes briefly, sitting down heavily on one side of the bed. "Cheers, Croft. Always nice to hear a pretty girl tell me I look like hell."

"Ok, laugh it off, but you need to rest. Wherever Karel is, he's wounded. I figure that buys us enough time to at least sleep off the battle. At this stage I don't see that we have a choice. We're both shattered."

His grin widened. "If you wanted to get me into bed all you had to do was ask."

She raised one eyebrow, not breaking eye contact. This time, she didn't blush. Wordless, she threw back the covers of the bed on the opposite side and climbed in, extinguishing the light at the bedside table. She heard him chuckle quietly, then felt him climb into the bed from the other side. The warm covers were a welcome embrace after the cruel cold of the Czech winter outside, and as they both gave in to their deep exhaustion, sleep took them.


	3. Chapter 3

**_"You can trust me, Lara Croft"._**

 ** _Part of her really wanted to believe that. She wanted this to be over. She was so tired._**  
 ** _That lasted about a split second. A split second was all it took for her to notice the symbol carved into Karel's palm. A jolt of horror seized her as she finally understood the truth._**

 ** _"It was you! YOU killed Werner!"_**

 ** _"Stupid mortal. So be it!"_**

 ** _Green fire erupted from his hands, and Lara was engulfed._**

"No!"  
She sat up, sweating and gasping for air. Slowly she became aware of the dark hotel room, and the sleeping form beside her. She had had her doubts about Kurtis, at one point questioning whether he existed. Was it possible Karel had been posing as the handsome stranger all along, tricking her into helping him with his plan to destroy Eckhardt?

 _Well, if it is him he's doing a damn good job of pretending to be a wounded man_ , she thought.

What could Karel possibly stand to gain from posing as her wounded partner and spending time in a Czech hospital? Then again, those healing powers seemed suspicious…

"Lara?" He was stirring beside her, woken by her shouting. Blue eyes stared at her from the darkness, and she relaxed slightly.

"Sorry. Bad dreams."

He rolled over to face her, and she noticed that he had discarded his t shirt at some point during the night, revealing a thick bandage covering his midriff. She snapped on the bedside lamp.

"Kurtis, you're bleeding!"

The bandage had a pinkish hue where his wound was, and she had no doubt that meant the stitches had ripped.

He looked down, cursing.

"I guess a trip back to the hospital is out of the question?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"I can't. I've already risked enough, if I go back I'll expose the Order, or what's left of it. I'll be fine, another few hours and this should be healed over."

"Well in the meantime I think you should at least let me take a look."

She felt rather than saw his grin. "You want to play doctor with me? You are shameless."

She didn't give him the satisfaction of responding.

"So you wanna tell me about that dream?" Kurtis asked as Lara unpacked her medi kit.

He was sitting on the edge of the bath in the ensuite bathroom, as she knelt in front of him. The intimacy of the situation wasn't lost on either of them.

Avoiding his gaze, she began to unwind the dressing around his abdomen. She couldn't help but appreciate the toned muscle beneath. Kurtis was built strong, broad. His shoulder to waist ratio was what one might call ideal, Lara thought. If one was thinking about him that way, which she wasn't, she reminded herself as she noticed her hands trembling a little. Instead, she figured she might as well fill in the blanks for him on the final battle with Eckhardt.

When she was done, he sighed deeply. "I feel violated," he said, referring to Karel's impersonation of him.

"So do I. Karel used me, and you probably, like puppets. And there's something else," she added, remembering something Eckardt said when she confronted him in his lab.

"Eckhardt seemed to think he had killed the last of the Lux Veritatis. He must not have known who you were when he caught you."

Kurtis winced. "Don't remind me. Rookie move letting him catch me like that."

She finished undoing his dressing, and couldn't suppress a gasp when she saw what was underneath. What had been a gaping hole mere hours ago was nothing more than a shallow wound. The stitches had burst and there was a small amount of blood oozing from it, but it genuinely didn't look serious.

"Wow. You weren't kidding about those powers." She looked up, and he gave her a wink. Cocky bastard, she thought. She couldn't help smiling back at him though.

She gently removed the stitches, opting to replace them with steri strips. She covered them with gauze and bandages. Remembering the entry wound on his back, she stood and leaned over him, hands on his shoulders to urge him to lean forward a bit. "Looks like the stitches on your back are hanging in there. I'll leave them be for the moment. I'm going to wrap you up again, one sec," and letting him sit forward again, she crouched again to get the bandages.

As she wrapped his torso, she became acutely aware of every time her fingers touched his bare skin. She could feel her pulse starting to speed up.

 _Uh oh._

She needed to get out of the danger zone, so she edged back and began to pack up her medi kit.

Feeling the need to fill the silence before one of them did something they'd regret, she wondered aloud how long they'd been out for.

He glanced at a complex-looking watch Lara hadn't noticed until now, and chuckled.

"Croft, we've been unconscious for the guts of a day."

"What?!" she gasped, and stood to go back to the bedroom. Walking over to the curtains, she realised he was right. Outside, another morning had dawned on the capital city. Feeling disoriented, she crossed the room and switched on the TV, clicking until she found the BBC World Service. The story about what had happened in the Strahov appeared before long in the rolling news bulletins at the bottom of the screen:

"PRAGUE: Monstrum killings solved as Czech police uncover cult behind a string of gruesome murders across the Czech capital and Paris. British explorer Lara Croft, initially a suspect in the case, has been exonerated and cleared of all charges."

Well, it was always nice to have one's good name back.

Kurtis' voice came behind her. "All's well that ends well eh…"

"Well, at least I won't have to worry about police chasing me across Europe. Nephilim, however…"

Kurtis sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Well, I don't know about you but I'm not going to be ready to tackle my dark and inevitable fate until I've had some coffee."

After finding a suitable cafe nearby, Kurtis and Lara ordered food as only two people who recently faced their own mortality could.

"Food always tastes so good after a few hours of being shot at, don't you think?" the American said around a mouthful of French toast.

Lara had the good grace to finish chewing before answering him.

"Hours? I've been on the run from the law for a week. I've been shot at, stabbed at, and attacked with all manner of supernatural weapons." She paused. He met her gaze, waiting for her to finish.

"….so that's a yes?"

Ignoring the table manners instilled in her since birth by her parents, Lara picked up a strip of bacon and bit into it, closing her eyes.

"Mmhmm."

He burst out laughing. She couldn't help but laugh as well, mouth full of bacon. Soon they were verging on hysterical, sides splitting, tears rolling down their cheeks.

Calming down after some time, their eyes met again. Wiping away tears of mirth, Lara shook her head.

"Ok. Guess it's time to strategise."

Nodding, Kurtis took a swig of coffee.

"I know a good place to start."

A short while later, they were standing outside a respectable-looking building in a very well-to-do neighbourhood. They were hanging back, using the cover of an alley across the street.

"Rouzic's apartment is on the top floor. Penthouse."

Luther Rouzic was a shady character, to say the least. An authority on dead languages and texts, Kurtis' research had pointed to him as a member of the Cabal. His position as head of Prague archives meant that, Cabal member or not, he must be in possession of some interesting and potentially useful information.

Lara remembered the name Rouzic from Luddick's files on the Cabal. It seemed too much of a coincidence - he had to be involved in some way. _So where was he when the events in the Strahov were taking place?_

"Have you come across the man himself at all since getting to Prague?" Lara asked.

"Didn't really have a chance - got busy stalking some hot chick through the Strahov, then I sorta got impaled by this monster's sting...the rest you know.."

Lara rolled her eyes. "So what's your plan, we go in there all guns blazing and beat information out of him?"

She could tell from the look in his eyes that this was exactly what he had in mind. Snorting in disbelief, she decided he was very lucky they had teamed up.

"Yeah, I don't think so. This needs research, time, probably a decent stake out. We're not going near that place until we know what we're dealing with. If Rouzic was a member of the Cabal, he could have supernatural powers we don't know about. I have a better idea - the source that got me into the Cabal had a mountain of information on them, including Rouzic. If we can find Luddick's car, his files should still be in there. Assuming the police haven't seized it. Then again, after what Eckhardt did to him I'd be surprised if they can even identify Luddick's body. He may even be beyond dental records." She grimaced at the memory of the journalist's smoking corpse.

"Can't argue with that logic. Any idea where he parked?"

It didn't take long to find Luddick's car, parked down an alley not far from the ruins of the Strahov. It was covered in a thick coat of snow, and had clearly lain untouched since the journalist's untimely death.

Wiping away some of the snow, Lara peered into the backseat of the car. Sure enough, several boxes sat on the seats. She could make out several files and sheets of paper poking out under the lids of some boxes. Bingo.

"Now, how to break into the car without attracting any-" she was cut off by the sound of the car beeping as the central locking disabled. She looked up at Kurtis, astonished. "Telekinesis?" she asked. He gave her a smug smile, and another wink. emThis flirting has to stop,/em she thought to herself. She was enjoying the banter between them, but past experience of working with men she had feelings for had taught her it was a bad idea. It didn't seem like she had a choice right now, however. If she was truly honest with herself, she was already in far too deep to walk away anyway.


	4. Chapter 4

They quickly grabbed the boxes from the car, and before long they were back at the hotel going through the contents.

"Here he is, Luther Rouzic."

They were sat crossed legged on the floor of the hotel room, the files spread out in front of them as they worked their way through it. Luddick had gathered an impressive amount of information on the Cabal, and Lara felt a wave of sadness wash over her every time she thought about the man's sticky end. He didn't deserve to go like that.

Kurtis shuffled across to her and leaned over her shoulder to read the sheet. There was a fairly pixelated image attached with a paperclip. The poor quality made it hard to discern much about the man's features, but Lara could see that he had medium length, greying hair and was frighteningly thin. His face had the impression of skin stretched tight across the bone, the outline of his skull clearly visible. In a word: Rouzic was creepy. Not unlike the other members of the Cabal.

"Rouzic, also known as the Illusionist," Kurtis read aloud. Lara could feel his breath on the back of her neck, and tried desperately to suppress the delicious tingling it sent down her spine.

"Date of birth: Unknown.

Occupation: Librarian and archivist, in charge of the Strahov archives. Authority and consultant on dead languages and texts. Several universities confirm he provided translations for them, nearly always centring on texts and artifacts recovered in the Cappadocia region of Turkey. Relating to ancient prophecies and accounts of angels walking on Earth. Connection to Eckhardt unclear. Some physical resemblance. Potential relative?

Cabal involvement: One of the six main players. Seen with Eckhardt and Muller on several occasions in Prague, Munich and Paris. Confirmed sightings near Monstrum crime scenes."

"Six? We haven't encountered them all then. Eckhardt, Karel, Boaz, Muller…who else?"

Kurtis sat back on his heels. Lara turned to look at him. He seemed to be considering something. Finally, he looked at her.

"Marten Gunderson. I know for a fact he was a member. Is, I guess, unless you saw him in the lab before it blew up?"

"Gunderson?" Lara had vague memories of the name, and suddenly recalled the large burly man who had shot at her in the Louvre and brought Luddick to Eckhardt in the Strahov. He had been the one holding Kurtis when she emerged from the Vault of Trophies.

"I assumed he was just hired muscle."

Kurtis let out a bitter laugh. "Don't underestimate him. He's a lot more than he seems. And he's not just hired muscle. He runs a mercenary business called the Agency. I actually worked for him, not too long ago. That was before I realised whose dirty work I was doing."

Lara was taken aback. "You worked as a mercenary?"

"Not exactly. It's a long story…"

"So tell me," she said, meeting his gaze. "If we're going to work together, we should probably get to know each other."

He gave a resigned nod. "You're right."

There was a pause, and Lara's stomach grumbled. The noise broke the tension that had built between them, and they both laughed.

"I'm not stalling or anything but it seems like we need to feed you."

Lara grinned sheepishly. It had been quite some time since their breakfast. They'd lost hours going through Luddick's research, and it was well past lunchtime.

"Room service?"

A short while later, they were seated at the table near the window tucking in to identical club sandwiches, washed down with two bottles of Peroni.

"Right," Lara said, finishing the last of her sandwich. "I think I'm ready for your life story now."

He rolled his eyes. "I expect this is on a quid pro quo basis, Croft. I spill my guts, you owe me the same."

She considered this for a moment. "Fair enough."

"Ok. So, there's a reason why I have these supernatural powers of mine. They were passed down from my father, Konstantin Heissturm. He was a Lux Veritatis warrior, and eventually he became one of the elders. I'm not sure how much you've uncovered about the Order over the past week, but it's hundreds of years old. At least, that's what I was taught. It started as a specialist branch of the Knights Templar, dedicated to preventing the Nephilim from re-emerging. Eckhardt was, as you know, working towards resurrecting them.

The Order captured him and kept him imprisoned at one of their strongholds for a long time, until in 1945 we were betrayed and Eckhardt escaped. That marked the start of a seriously long killing spree. Eckhardt needed transmuted body parts to keep himself alive, but I honestly think he killed most of those peopel for fun. Now that we know Karel was involved, I'm wondering how many of them he was responsible for.

Eckhardt's escape marked the beginning of what we called the Shadow War. Mainly it involved Eckhardt and his Cabal followers trying to eliminate the Order. Bit by bit, our numbers dwindled. By the time my father completed his training, the Order was facing extinction. As dangers grew, members stopped having children, and powers couldn't be passed on. My father probably wouldn't have, either, if he hadn't met my mother by chance.

My mother's name is Marie Cornel. She's a Native American, of the Navajo tribe. She met my father when she was touring Europe, giving lectures on Native American history and culture. I won't go into it, but despite the constant demon attacks and attempts on his life, my father followed her to the States, and they married.

As far as I know, the first few years they were able to hide out and my father managed to keep my mother and I a secret from Eckhardt, and even from the Order. It was impossible to know who to trust. But when I was three, I started showing signs of Lux Veritatis powers. My parents realised I had to begin my training. My mother never wanted me to be involved with the Order, but untrained, I posed a danger to myself and anyone around me.

So, I was trained by my father and the other Lux Veritatis elders, and eventually I got to the final stages. The best way to describe the final tests is just to tell you that I'd take Boaz over them, any time. I barely made it out alive, and I never really forgave my father for putting me through it.

I was 16 by now, and I had started to grasp the seriousness of the burden on my shoulders. My generation was the smallest the Lux Veritatis had ever seen, no more than a handful of us made it through training - some were assassinated by Eckhardt before they could complete their training, and some cracked under the pressure. A few took their own lives.

My father and the other adepts immediately started sending me out on missions for the Order. I risked my life daily, trying to chip away at Eckhardt's forces. Every day was a struggle, I was barely ever home. My mother rarely saw my father or me. I can't imagine what she must have gone through. But it was nothing compared with what was to come.

After three years of constantly hunting and fighting demons, I had enough. I wanted a chance at life, away from the Order. I spent a long time planning my escape, and I figured my best chance was to disappear. I joined the Foreign Legion, changed my last name to Trent. It might seem like I simply traded one war for another, but I just wanted some control over my life. I wanted to make my own choices. My father had been missing for a long time, and Eckhardt seemed to be going from strength to strength. It felt like we were fighting a losing battle.

But it didn't work. No matter where I went, the demons followed. Weird stuff kept happening. Eventually I had to face up to the fact that I was putting my friends in danger. I tried to stay with the Legion, hunting demons whenever they found me. Earned the nickname "Demon Hunter". After a couple of particularly bad incidents, I had to leave.

I heard from my father around that time. He had been in hiding for years, but he made contact with me try to warn me about the final stages of Eckhardt's plan. He was desperate. But I wasn't ready to take on the responsiblity for finishing what the Order started. We kept in touch, but I never saw him again.

I got by through freelance security work, and eventually I fell in with Gunderson's crew. It was mostly surveillance and recon work. It paid pretty well, and I was free. That was the most important thing to me. I had no idea I was working for the same people trying to destroy the Order," he added bitterly.

Lara felt a stab of sympathy. She couldn't judge him - hadn't she accidentally woken Set and nearly brought about the end of the world? Instintively, she reached across the table and put her hand over his.

"Go on," she urged.

"The real wake-up call came last year. I was logged on to the Agency's server, when I came across details of a job they had just completed. It was a surveillance job, but the contract had been terminated. The name on the file was Konstantin Heissturm."

Kurtis continued, not acknowledging Lara's sharp intake of breath.

"The Agency had been keeping tabs on my father, helping the Cabal corner him and eliminate him. The fact that the file was closed could only mean one thing: he was dead."

Lara closed her eyes for a moment. She squeezed his hand sympathetically. He paused and gave her a weak smile of gratitude, before continuing.

"I heard from my mother the next day and she confirmed what I already knew: Eckhardt had murdered my father. She begged me to come home to Utah, but I couldn't. Not until I made things right. I cut ties with the Agency, after I gathered as much information from them as I could, and that's when I got the Periapt Shards, and my Chirugai. They were delivered to me by one of the few remaining members of the Order. My father had sent him, and at first I thought we could work together to bring down the Cabal. Wishful thinking. He was murdered a few days later. That was when the papers started talking about the Monstrum."

"I'd been investigating Eckhardt for a while when I heard the Agency were being sent to retrieve a painting at the Louvre. I knew it had to be one of the Obscura paintings. So, I made my way to Paris. I picked up the Cabal's trail in the Parisian ghetto, and I was enjoying a hard-earned coffee break when this hot chick wandered into my cafe and started asking questions about the very man I was looking into, Louis Bouchard."

Lara raised one eyebrow at him. She reclined in her chair, knocking back to the last of her beer.

"So you decided, better stalk her and ride her coat tails all the way to Eckhardt?"

He shrugged. "After you survived the explosion in the pawn shop, I figured you were made of pretty tough stuff. Worth keeping an eye on."

She nearly spat out the beer.

"You SAW that?! And it didn't occur to you to maybe help the woman on fire in front of you?"

"Hey, my mother was very clear about not talking to strangers."

She couldn't help but smile at that.

"How is that after everything you've been through you can still make jokes?"

Another shrug. "I guess it's how I get through it. If I dwelled too much on it all, I don't think I'd get out of bed in the morning."

"Fair point."

Suddenly there was a heavy silence. Everything he'd told her weighed heavily on her. She had the sense there weren't many people who knew his life story, his real name. The weight that obviously sat pretty uncomfortably on his shoulders, whether he liked it or not. She shook her head silently. She'd known there was a lot more to him, but this was…well, a lot. A lot to take in.

"Your turn."

She couldn't deny him the right to know who he was dealing with, now that he'd opened up to her.

She took a deep breath.

"We're going to need some more beer."

Some time later, Kurtis sat back in his chair, mirroring Lara's response when he had finished his own story.

"Wow."

She had lived up to the promise, and spilled her guts. Everything, from her father's lineage and money, to her parents' obsession with antiquities and preserving them, to their eventual establishment as known explorers. From there, she explained how she'd been initiated from a young age, taught respect and appreciation for the relics her parents were so enamoured with. She found herself smiling at the similarities in their stories as she outlined the grim mission her father had embarked upon after Amelia Croft's disappearance. From there, she gave Kurtis a brief outline of her dealings with Natla, and the grim discovery that she had been using the Crofts all along. He winced when she told him how she had discovered her mother in Hellheim, or what had been her mother.

As they finished their second bottle of beer, Lara took a breather.

Kurtis let out a low whistle. "That is some tough shit, Lara."

By the end of bottle number three, he was almost up to speed.

"Just…wow."

She shrugged. "You dig around in ancient tombs long enough, one is bound to collapse on you. My number was up that day."

"How did you survive?"

That was the question. She still wasn't sure to this day how the tomb's collapse hadn't killed her. She only knew if she hadn't met the Egytian shaman she never would made it. Barely suppressed memories rose unbidden in her mind. Gasping for air, dragging herself through dust and rubble. Thirst like she had never felt before. The certainty that she would die there. She shuddered. For some reason, Putai had seen fit to save her life. She had always suspected there was a higher purpose to it.

"I had help. I was taken in by one of the nomadic tribes nearby. Their shaman healed me, and after I recouperated I repaid my debt by living as one of their warriors, helping them defend their settlement from rival tribes. I spent months there, and part of me never wanted to come home. It was easier, living day by day, not processing what had happened. Not facing up to my mistakes. Or Werner's betrayal," she added bitterly.

"Hey, I get that." he said quietly.

They were silent again. Confiding so much so quickly was a bit out of character for Lara, but then this wasn't exactly a normal Tuesday, was it? And since she had alienated a large amount of her friends and family by pushing them away after Egypt, she hadn't really had much by way of a confidante lately. It felt good to open up to someone. Especially someone who understood. She had never met anyone like Kurtis before. His experiences eclipsed hers in many ways.

"Now that we're up to speed, I'd say it was high time we actually decide what we're doing," she said, gesturing to the forgotten piles of research still spread across the floor. She was feeling distinctly more relaxed than she had in a long time. The three bottles of beer might have had something to do with that. She tried to remember the last time she'd drank this much, and failed. Before Egypt, anyway. Her tribe hadn't exactly been drinkers. Best leave it at three drinks, before things get out of hand, she thought.

"Well, since you're not a fan of breaking into Rouzic's apartment, I say we go for the next best thing," Kurtis offered.

"Which is…?"

"His place of work. He's bound to have some good intel stashed at the city archives. They're public - we should be able to get in unnoticed, do some snooping around, maybe find a lead."

"Good thinking, Batman."


	5. Chapter 5

The Prague Archives was a department of the city hall, and the place was full of people. Lara and Kurtis did their best to look inconspicious, posing as two foreign history students on a fact finding trip. Upon entering the main public section of the Archives, which was set up like any public library, they set about finding any information on the Strahov they could. As Lara sat going through several books, Kurtis was looking restless.

"What?" she asked.

He leaned closer to her, lowering his voice. "Mind if I move things along a bit?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Am I about to see another one of your parlour tricks?"

He smirked. "Just give me a sec."

He seemed to almost instantly zone out. His eyes were still open but he was staring into space. Lara waved a hand right in front of his eyes. No reaction. Wherever Kurtis was, it wasn't here.

Long moments passed. Lara began to worry that someone would notice her partner's vacant expression. It suddenly occurred to her that if Gunderson was still around, or even Rouzic, they could be recognised in an instant.

Just when she was getting anxious, Kurtis' eyes flickered and he drew in a sharp breath. He was back.

"Mind explaining what that was?" asked Lara in a whisper.

Kurtis edged his chair closer to hers, leaning in to whisper right into her ear.

"Farsee. Little trick I picked up during Lux Veritatis training. I can use it to basically extend my vision beyond my body, but I can also use it to search people's minds for an image. In this case, I was looking for Rouzic. Most of the staff here seem to know him. I've got a good fix on what he looks like now. Creepy dude. Anyway, his office is just down that corridor," he said, nodding slightly towards a corridor behind where they sat. "I managed to get the access code. This is why you shouldn't write your passwords down, by the way. Makes it way easier for people like me to break in and steal your shit."

Lara couldn't help but smile. Without him and his parlour tricks, they'd have probably spent fruitless hours here going through books and come up with nothing. Rouzic's office was bound to hold something of use.

She noticed his arm was draped across the back of her chair, his hand absently stroking her shoulder. Biting her bottom lip to get her hormones under control as a warm feeling spread right down to the tips of her toes, she asked, leaning right into his ear: "Did you happen to find out if he's in today?"

He grinned. "Office is free. None of the staff are expecting him today, if their thoughts are anything to go by. We just need to be discreet."

Suddenly a nasty and humiliating thought struck Lara. "Hang on, you can read minds? Have you been reading mine?" she whispered, slightly angrily.

He gave her an innocent look. "I would never invade your privacy like that."

His cheeky grin suggested otherwise, and Lara kicked his ankle under the table, glaring at him. He grunted, this time giving her a look of sincerity. "Croft, scout's honour. I hate the telepathy thing, most of the time I suppress it. Makes me feel like some sort of sick Peeping Tom."

Relief flooded her. If he had been able to read her thoughts as she dressed his wound that morning…or even as they'd woken up in bed together…or right now, when they were in such close quarters she could barely breath…

 _Stop it, Lara,_ she ordered herself. _Focus on the business at hand._

It was time to find out what Luther Rouzic really knew.

After some quiet discussion, they decided a quick and discreet smash and grab operation was the best way forward. Lara would go in, grab anything that looked worthwhile and stuff it into her backpack. They would leave together and go through the information from the safety of the hotel room.

Lara chose her moment carefully. She loitered at a bookshelf near Rouzic's corridor until the archivist at reception stepped out for a bathroom break and no one was looking, then she casually strolled down to the door and let herself in.

Rouzic's office was large, with a huge window behind his desk looking out onto the car park and green area in front of city hall. Lara began rifling through files and immediately filling her backpack, grabbing several portable hard drives for good measure. She had almost reached the capacity of the bag when she heard a loud cough. That was their agreed signal. It was time to get out of there. Startled by the sound of muffled screams and gunshots coming from the library room, she strode quickly towards the door, only to be nearly knocked over by Kurtis as he hurtled through it, gun drawn. He slammed it shut behind him and turned the lock. They backed away from the door as one, Lara drawing her pistols.

"It's Gunderson," he told her. "Did he see you?" she asked. "Yep, afraid so. Looked like he'd seen a ghost-"

He was cut off by an almighty crash as the door caved in. Two men, dressed in plain clothes but with guns drawn, entered.

It all happened in a split second. Kurtis and Lara fired off two shots each, not hesitating as they aimed to kill. Both men fell just as an enormous figure emerged behind them. Gunderson. His bald head shone under the overhead lighting as he entered the office. He was flanked by three more men, and stepped over the bodies of his employees like they were trash.

"Well well, Trent, you're quite a hard man to kill it seems," he said as he advanced.

They were outgunned and outnumbered.

"And Miss Croft! Master Karel will be glad to hear you made it out of the Strahov. He's quite fond of you, you know," said the burly man with a grin.

Kurtis glanced from Gunderson, to the men behind him, before he seemed to come to decision.

He holstered his gun, held his hands up in front of his body. "Easy, Marten, we give up. Right, Lara?"

She gaped at him, pistols still raised. "Cmon Croft, live to fight another day."

"Listen to him, Miss Croft, he knows us well enough to understand you're both in serious trouble. Come quietly and we'll keep the bodily harm to a minimum. Master Karel has business with both of you in Turkey."

A voice in her head spoke. ** _"Lara, trust me"._**

She did. She gave Kurtis a nod as she holstered her weapons.

 _You better have a plan, Trent,_ Lara thought as loud as she could.

As Gunderson's goons began to approach to disarm them, Kurtis gave a strange shimmy of his hips. The mercenaries hesitated, looking at Gunderson.

"What's wrong Trent, need the little boy's room?" he laughed. He was clearly enjoying capturing his former employee. He was fairly confident of having them cornered, and was letting himself relish the moment. He seemed far removed from the serious, hard man she'd seen in the Strahov and in the Louvre. Perhaps he had been under some sort of mind control. He had seemed a bit robotic at the time. This version of Gunderson had a bit more of a personality about him.

Meanwhile, Kurtis had done another shimmy. _What are you doing?!_ she thought at him. That was when she saw it. A small, shiny object had emerged from the bottom of Kurtis' combats, and was sitting on the toe of his boot.

Before anyone could react, Kurtis kicked out his foot and the object erupted, spraying thick smoke all over Gunderson and his men. The room was instantly obscured by smoke, and Lara could hear coughing coming from the smoke in front of her. It seemed to be avoiding Kurtis and herself. Quick as lightning, Kurtis grabbed Lara's hand and pulled her back towards Rouzic's desk.

"Do you trust me?" he shouted back at her as they ran full-tilt at the window. The mercenaries were firing blindly at them, trapped in the cloud of smoke.

"I'm here aren't I?!" she shouted at him. Amidst the chaos, she saw him glance back at her and shoot her a quick, affection grin. They were nearly on top of the window when he held his hand out and, in a move that gave her déja vu, blasted the window from it's frame. They leapt out as one, hands still clasped.

One problem remained. They were five storeys up.

Lara was just about to start screaming when she felt a strange sensation. It was like there was just a slight pressure, like air blowing up towards her feet, slowing her descent. They fell fast, but not as fast as they should have, and they remained upright. She had the sense that holding on to Kurtis' hand was the only thing between her and an untimely death. She gripped his hand harder, palm slightly sweaty. Trust was one thing, defying gravity was another.

After what seemed like an eternity but had actually only lasted less than a minute, they landed on the ground. Despite Kurtis' help, they still fell to their knees, absorbing the significant impact.

Neither hesitated. They were up and racing towards Kurtis' motorike straight away. Above them, they heard shouts and gun shots as Gunderson and his men tried to pick them off. Kurtis glanced back at Lara just before they roared away on the bike. From the smile on his face, she would almost have sworn he was enjoying himself. She wrapped her arms around him from behind, pressing her face into his back to suppress her own laughter. Was it hysteria? Or was she actually having fun herself?

She was a lost cause.


	6. Chapter 6

When the adrenaline faded, the seriousness of the near-miss hit them both.

Back at the hotel, Lara decided that this was one close-call too many. It was time to call in outside help.

She used her newly purchased mobile phone to dial Croft Manor, asking Winston to source Bryce's contact details. Her friend had unique talents, and she'd need if she was going to crack this while on the run from Gunderson.

"Right away, Lara," the butler said. "There is one thing I had been hoping to discuss with you, if you have a moment,"

Lara frowned. Winston wasn't one for chit-chat, at least not when he knew she had more pressing matters to deal with.

"A letter arrived for you this past week. From the post mark, I can tell it's from a solicitors in Paris. I thought it might relate to Professor Von Croy, or perhaps your own situation in terms of proving your innocence,"

"Right. Can you open it for me please, Winston, and send me images of what's in it?"

Winston may have been pushing 70, but he made it his business to keep track of new technology. He was just as adept with a smartphone and a laptop as the average 21 year old. It proved very useful when liaising with Lara while she was travelling, and truth be told that was his chief motivation. He loved her like a daughter, and anything he could do to both help her and keep in touch with her was worth while for him.

"I'll send them to you now, along with those contact details. Will you need any more money wired?"

"Thanks Winston, I've managed to replace all of my bank cards so money won't be an issue. However, identification might be. Best ask Jonathan Price to give me a call, I'm going to need a new passport fairly lively."

She hung up, thankful for once that M15 owed her a favour.

She turned to Kurtis.

"Time to stop acting like rookies. I'm calling in some professional help."

A few hours later, Lara had a new passport and tickets booked for herself and Kurtis on the next flight to Paris.

The letter Winston referred to held some fairly sobering contents. Werner's will had been read, and although he had left the majority of his substantial fortune to charity, his apartment and all of its contents had been left to Lara.

Werner had no family that she knew of, and precious few friends. None that he trusted. Still, she was surprised to find herself mentioned at all. They had had their ups and downs, and to her great regret they had never buried the hatchet.

She knew there was more to it than sentiment. Werner knew he was being stalked. He knew she wouldn't be receptive when he contacted her. It made sense that he provided in his will for her to continue his work after he died. If only she hadn't been the chief suspect in his murder, maybe some of the contents of the apartment might have helped her destroy Eckhardt. In any case, it was worth a look in case it held secrets that could help them beat Karel.

This was what she told Kurtis, but there was another reason why she wanted to go back to Paris. She had never had the chance to say goodbye to the man who, in so many ways, shaped who she was today.

While her passion for archaeology was inspired by her parents, Werner had been the one to pick up the pieces after she had lost both her mother and father. He had guided her in her formative years, and although they had had their disagreements, he had been like family to her at one time. She wanted to pay her respects at his grave in Pere Lachaise, and give herself a chance to grieve. She had learned the hard way that suppressing emotions just meant they came back to haunt her at a later stage.

She kept this to herself, of course. She may have placed her trust in Kurtis as a business partner, but she wasn't ready to be emotionally vulnerable with him just yet. Bitter experience had taught her to play her cards close to her chest when it came to matters of the heart.

That didn't mean she couldn't have a little fun along the way, mind you.

Lara turned the key in the lock on Werner's apartment door.

"Last time I was here I had to break through police tape," she told Kurtis with a grimace.

"If it's too weird for you we can find a hotel," he offered.

"I'll be fine. Plus, the more time we spend here the more likely we are to find whatever Werner wanted me to find."

In the days since Lara had faced off against the Cleaner, people more worthy of that title had been in. The apartment had been scrubbed clean of any and all signs of crime, apart from some bullet holes in the walls. She presumed she'd have to arrange for those to be filled in herself.

Wandering through the foyer into the spacious living area, Kurtis whistled. "Not bad digs, for a Professor."

Lara smiled. "He was a lot more than a professor. As evidenced by his getting mixed up with Eckhardt…" she trailed off. This was harder than she had imagined, but it felt right. She needed to be here. She entered the open plan kitchen, glancing through the cupboards. Opening the fridge, she saw it had been cleared out. She had been staring into the empty fridge for a long moment when Kurtis' voice called from upstairs:

"Are we drawing straws for who sleeps on the couch or am I going to be the big spoon again?"

Shaken out of her momentary stupor, she grinned. He knew how to lighten the mood anyway. Trying to ignore the flash of heat she had felt at the flirty comment, she threw back "If you were a gentleman you'd offer to take the couch no questions asked."

Kurtis emerged from the master bedroom, making his way back down the spiral staircase, stopping right in front of where she was standing.

"I never claimed to be a gentleman."

For some reason this comment ignited an atmosphere of dangerous tension between them. Lara found her thoughts of grief had been banished completely, and felt herself begin to sweat. She was extremely aware of every breath he took as he stepped closer again, this time close enough to touch. All trace of humour was gone now, and he fixed her with an intense, searching look. She had to stop herself from jerking back in shock when she felt him touch her. He was playing with the button on the breast pocket of her jacket, studying it closely. When his eyes returned to hers, she thought she might just burn up on the spot. Her legs felt jelly-like and she realised there'd be no denying her feelings for this man. Not now.

Leaning in very slowly, he kissed her gently, hands back by his sides. Every molecule of her being wanted him to touch her. All thoughts of Nephilim, the end of the world, death, and stress faded away as they stood there, lips gently moving against each other.

This had been a long time coming. It almost felt inevitable. Natural.

His hands found her waist and he slowly wrapped his arms around her as she slid her arms around his neck. She couldn't help but stroke a hand through his hair as the kiss deepened. They pressed closer to each other, giving and receiving comfort that was badly needed.

Sooner than either would have liked, they broke away, panting slightly. Lara felt like she must be running a temperature. Her body was practically vibrating with desire. Judging by the quick rise and fall of his chest, he was just as worked up as she was. But this wasn't the time, or the place.

Arms still around one another, they drew back slightly. Tenderness in his eyes, Kurtis pressed his forehead to hers, and she closed her eyes for a moment.

"Can't tell you how long I've been wanting to do that."

Eyes still closed, she smiled. She thought of making a smart remark about his shameless frisking of her in the Louvre, but in the end settled for "Me too."

Mustering all of her willpower, she extricated herself and stepped back. Before she could say anything, he had tossed his keys at her. Surprised, she caught them.

"Have you been reading my-"

He cut her off gently "Lara, I don't have to be telepathic to know you want to pay your respects to your friend. Go on, take the bike. I'll be here going through some of that stuff you managed to pilfer from Rouzic's office."

She smiled gratefully at him.

"Sorry. Suspicion's kind of second nature to me."

He laughed softly, stepping close to her again to kiss her on the forehead.

"I get that. Of course I do have other motives. Any chance you'd like to pick us up some dinner on your way home?"

She rolled her eyes.

"Sure."


	7. Chapter 7

The kiss had been unexpected, and yet it came as no surprise at the same time. There was a powerful attraction between herself and Kurtis, one that seemed to be growing beyond just lust the more time they spent together.

Pere Lachaise cemetery was some way away from Werner's apartment, on the edge of the city.

Lara was unsurprised at her mentor's foresight, or his choice or burial site. He was in good company with the likes of Oscar Wilde, Edith Piaf and Chopin joining him in choosing it for their final resting place. Werner may have been humbled in his later years, but he had been a proud man, and she imagined him picturing tourists visiting the tomb of the famous archaeologist Professor Von Croy.

As she reached the fresh grave, Lara noted her mentor may have been right. There was already someone standing in front of Werner's grave, head bowed. A man, tall and well built, smoking a cigarette. In the dying light Lara couldn't make out his face, and she was instantly on her guard.

 _Can't I have just a few moments to say goodbye to Werner without some the Cabal sending some goon after me_? She thought to herself, hand hovering over the gun she had concealed in the waistband of her jeans.

As she approached, the man at Werner's grave glanced up at her. As she met his eyes, she saw recognition there. He knew her.

Just as she was about to draw her gun, the man spoke. In quiet and quick French, he said:

"Ms Croft, I have been waiting in hopes of finding you here. I need your help, and I believe that I will be able to assist you in destroying the Cabal once and for all. Please, trust me."

She paused, hand on the gun at her back.

As an afterthought, the man added: "I wouldn't draw that gun in full view of the public if I were you, the Parisian police don't take too kindly to concealed weapons. I should know, being one of them."

 _Great,_ she thought. _The Paris police, my favourite._

"So you're one of the people who believed I was a psychopathic killer capable of murdering dozens of people and mutilating their bodies? We're off to a great start."

He grimaced, taking another drag from his cigarette. "That was an unfortunate misunderstanding, and I was actually one of the officers who was convinced otherwise. Wasn't able to convince my colleagues, however."

Lara wasn't sure whether to trust him. She couldn't get a read on him, especially in the dying light of the evening. She couldn't see his face clearly.

"So you want to help me? How, and more importantly, why?"

Taking another drag on his cigarette, the man grimaced. "The why of it is complicated. The Cabal must be stopped, for the good of mankind. But I won't lie to you, I have a personal stake in this. You don't need to know about that. All you need to know is that I've found information on the Cabal's final plan, their endgame. I know where they'll be and I know how to infiltrate them. I have contacts here in Paris who can help, and contacts with the authorities that can smooth over any...difficulties we might encounter on the way. I can't do this alone, but if you refuse to help me I will. It seems to me there's no sense in working in parallel with each other, all the same."

Lara still wasn't certain. While she figured any Cabal member attempting to take her out wouldn't bother with this kind of subterfuge, Karel's manipulation of her still stung. As a precaution, she stepped towards the man. "Show me your palms."

He looked surprised, but stubbed out his cigarette and held out his hands to her. They were clear. Letting out a breath she hand't been aware she was holding in, Lara stepped back.

"Since you already seem to know my name and a lot about me, seems only polite for you to introduce yourself."

"Of course. Detective Pierre Vey, at your service."

He held out a business card to her. She took it and pocketed it.

Just as she was about to ask for more information, he glanced around sharply.

"We shouldn't linger here. It's not safe to discuss such things in the open. Perhaps you could take the evening to consider my offer, and contact me on the number on that card in the morning if you think we can work together."

Lara nodded. "Alright."

They both turned and walked away in opposite directions, Lara glancing back only once at the grave of her mentor. What did you drag me into, Werner? she thought.

A short while later, she arrived back to Werner's apartment with a bag full of food and drink. She found Kurtis sitting at Werner's desk in the study area, going through files on one of the portable hard drives she had taken from Rouzic's office. Lucky Werner's PC was still in working order. She was surprised it hadn't been damaged by a stray bullet during her fight with the Cleaner.

"Honey, I'm home." she called as she entered. He looked up with a slight grin.

"Good, because I'm starving."

Lara began taking down plates and glasses as Kurtis rooted through her shopping bags. She had gone for some typical French fare and bought cheese, cold meats and a baguette as well as some crackers, fruit and coffee for the morning.

Cracking open a can of Amstel, Kurtis took a seat at the breakfast bar. They sat and helped themselves to the food, eating in comfortable silence. After a while, Kurtis spoke up. "So...how was it?"

Swallowing her mouthful of Brie and baguette, Lara turned to face him. "The grave was fine, if a bit busy...I have more interesting things to tell you actually."

She filled him in on the detective and his offer.

"We, we could use some help...but can we trust him?"

"My thoughts exactly. It might be worth checking him out before we decide." As she spoke, Lara got up and made her way over to the PC.

Kurtis followed and leaned over her shoulder as she did a quick search for Detective Pierre Vey. Using some of the more advanced search engines she so often relied on, and after a quick dip into the Deep Web, she managed to locate records on Vey on a police database. He was on a leave of absence, listed as "compassionate leave", but he had been assigned to the Monstrum case before that.

"What do you reckon the compassionate leave is for?" Kurtis asked quietly, breath tickling the back of her neck. Ignoring the flash of heat she felt at his proximity, Lara focused on potential theories on Vey.

"He said he had a personal stake in bringing down the Cabal. What's the betting they killed someone close to him?"

"Must have been pretty close to warrant compassionate leave. Direct family."

"Probably a wife...or a child?" Lara shuddered at the thought. She felt a stab of sympathy for Vey.

After a short while trying to find out who it was close to Vey that they Cabal had targeted, Lara gave up.

"You'd think if the Cabal murdered the family of a Paris police officer it would make the news. This is strange," she murmured.

She tried a different approach, digging up family records on Vey. He was married, one child. There were public records of his marriage to Marie Lartigue in 1975, and the birth of their son Arnaud two years later. She followed Arnaud up to finishing his studies at Paris Dauphine university in 1998. Politics & International Relations. But there were no employment records for Arnaud Vey. He disappeared from all public records after graduating university. He wasn't even listed as claiming social welfare. Strange.

Kurtis was watching her work from the chair he had pulled up beside her. Very aware of his eyes on her, she rose and went back to the kitchen to get herself a beer.

"From what I can tell, this guy seems fairly legit," Kurtis called in to her.

"I agree," she said as she returned, cracking open the cold can of Amstel.

Taking a seat again, she leaned back, lost in thought, staring blankly at the computer screen.

"So we give him a chance?"

"Well I was hitting a brick wall with Rouzic's research, so it would be good to find out if Vey can give us a hand there,"' Kurtis replied.

"How far did you get?" Lara asked, suddenly remembering the mountain of information they had robbed from the Prague Archives.

"Everything seems to point to the Cappadocia region in Turkey, so I'm guessing this is where Karel will be headed. Rouzic's files talk about ancient prophecies to do with reviving the Nephilim but it's incomplete. There might have been more information in his office but thanks to Gunderson's interruption we'll never know."


	8. Chapter 8

They agreed to take the night to consider their options further, and lay out a plan of action the next morning. In the meantime, there was the matter of going through Werner's apartment.

From his position in Werner's armchair, Kurtis watched her methodically go through the place searching for anything that could help them. She glanced at him from time to time, purely to check if the slight grin was still on his face.

Rolling her eyes for the umpteenth time, Lara pulled down the complete works of Homer, thumbing through the volumes in search of hidden slips of paper. It wouldn't be the first time she found vital clues hidden in books.

She was about to give up when her eye fell on a book that definitely didn't belong on a shelf dedicated to ancient history. Werner was obsessive in his organisation, and there was no way a copy of War of the Worlds should be sharing a shelf with Homer's Iliad. Feeling the familiar spark of excitement she felt every time she was on the verge of a crucial discovery, she pulled the book down.

Scrolling through, she found a slip of paper concealed in the binding. "Bingo," she muttered. From behind her, she heard Kurtis rise from the armchair and make his way over to her.

Unfolding the paper, she expected to find a letter from Werner. Instead, it held a short verse:

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep."

"Robert Frost." Kurtis said from right behind her. She raised her eyebrows at him "Found time for English literature somewhere between advanced telepathy and demon assassination classes did we?"

"Actually it's more of a personal interest."

"Good to know all Americans aren't as cultureless and ignorant as they seem on television."

This time it was his turn to roll his eyes as Lara headed across the room to the bookshelf that housed Werner's poetry collection.

Scanning the shelves, she arrived at the complete works of Robert Frost. She heard Kurtis follow her. Reaching for the book, she noticed it seemed to be wedged in quite tightly. Frowning, she took hold of the top of the book and pulled harder, realisation dawning on her too late - just as she heard the click right under her feet.

With a sharp gasp, she felt the floor fall out from under her, and she started to drop. In an instant, she felt Kurtis grab her from behind, stopping her fall just in time. Her feet dangled in the trap door for a second before he lifted her and placed them back on the floor beside Werner's booby trap.

A little humiliated, she turned to look at Kurtis.

"Thanks. Should have known the sly old fox would have some tricks up his sleeve."

Kurtis' only response was an ear-to-ear grin. "Oh, stop it," she told him, cheeks warm, but couldn't help grinning herself at her own stupidity.

Refocusing, Lara knelt and peered into the trapdoor. Had it been a booby trap? Why would Werner have set her up like that unless he wanted her to find whatever was under there?

It was too dark to see anything under the trapdoor. She rose and went to her backpack, pulling out her LED light. Kurtis crouching at her side, she knelt again and shone the light in.

When they saw what was in there, Kurtis gave a chuckle. "Didn't exactly save you from a fatal fall there did I?"

The trapdoor was barely knee deep. It was at best a crawl space. Lara reached in and found a cardboard box stored under the floorboards.

A little more excavation revealed four more boxes in the crawl space, which Lara and Kurtis pulled out and stacked on the kitchen island.

It was, of course, everything Werner had on the Cabal, the Obscura paintings...and the Nephilim. Sitting on top of a pile of files in the first box she opened, she found an envelope with her name on it.

Lara snatched the envelope and stared at her name on it, heart racing. She'd expected Werner to have left word for her, but she hadn't expected herself to react like this. It hit her that this was the last thing Werner would ever say to her, the last communication she would ever have with her mentor.

"Lara? You ok?"

She blinked, snapping out of her stupor. Taking a deep breath she met Kurtis' gaze.

"It's from Werner. Hopefully he might have a lead for us," she said as she opened the envelope, taking a seat at one of the high stools at the kitchen island. She pulled out a thick collection of sheets with filled with Werner's ornate handwriting.

"Look, why don't you read that and start going through his research? I need to head out for a bit anyway."

She looked up and gave him a small smile. The man was far more emotionally intelligent than any she'd encountered before.

"Ok. See you later."


	9. Chapter 9

Head down, Lara dove dove into Werner's letter.

 **"Lara,**

 **I'm so sorry for dragging you into this. I know you won't have expected to hear from me after Egypt. Truth be told I've wanted to contact you every day since we heard that you had survived, but I've been too ashamed. Ashamed of myself for giving up on you, for leaving you to die in that tomb, for failing you as a mentor and as a friend. These past few months I've learned some hard lessons about myself, and chief among them has been that I do not deserve your friendship. However, what I'm asking you now is not on my own behalf, but that of the world itself.**

 **You may think I'm exaggerating, but I promise you this situation I've become tangled in is nothing short of a threat to civilisation and the very survival of mankind. Which is why I must ask you to continue my work, and ensure that Eckhardt does not succeed in reviving the Nephilim race.**

 **I had hoped to explain this in person, but if you're reading this it means I have failed in that too. I am sorry, Lara.**

 **In the boxes you found with this letter you will find every scrap of information I have gathered on Eckhardt, the Cabal and the Nephilim. To be brief: It is imperative that you find and destroy the Obscura paintings before it's too late."**

Lara scanned the next few pages of instructions on finding the paintings, pondering how much easier it would have been to find them with this letter.

 _Kosa's right. I never seem to do anything the easy way,_ she thought.

After the section on the Obscura paintings, she came to some new and disturbing information.

 **"Lara, I'm afraid that the Obscura paintings and the Sleeper are merely one of several options Eckhardt has for reviving this race of human-angel hybrids. While destroying the paintings will deliver a setback to the Cabal, it is by no means the end of their plot.**

 **It is my belief that a true Nephilim walks among us. Somewhere, probably known to Eckhardt, there is one living specimen of this race. This means the Cabal is halfway to the revival of the race even without the Sleeper.**

 **I have uncovered information that points to the burial of the remains of another Nephilim here in Paris.**

 **Many years ago, this creature lived in France, right through to the Revolution, when she was discovered by an agent of the Church. The Catholic Church have long been aware of the existence of the Nephilim, and have trained generations of warriors to fight them. This is the order of the Lux Veritatis, whom I mentioned earlier as the keepers of the last Obscura painting. This Lux Veritatis knight discovered the Nephilim hiding herself in Paris society and set about destroying her. I could not come across any information on how she was destroyed, but destroyed she was.**

 **The Lux Veritatis guarded her remains for almost a hundred years, convinced they held some key to reviving her or her race, but unable to fully destroy her bones. However, towards the end of the 18th century, her burial place of Saint Innocents was overflowing and the authorities began to move the human remains to what is now one of the tourist attractions of the city - the Catacombs.**

 **At this time the Order were in a position of strength, having captured Eckhardt. Confident that this solution of hiding the Nephilim remains in plain sight would work, they infiltrated the process and sealed her bones in a section of the catacombs protected by their own wards and enchantments.**

 **This seems to have worked, until now. Eckhardt is aware of the catacombs connection. For now, he is pursuing the paintings and the Sleeper as these will lead him to his goal more quickly. But once this option is closed off to him, he will make for the catacombs. Using the bones of this female Nephilim to revive the race will not be straightforward, but I have discovered that the Cabal has a team of scientists working on a method of using the bones to recreate or clone her. I shudder at this thought. Eckhardt must not be allowed to gain possession of her remains.**

 **Fortunately, it will be complex for him to get to them. The remains are not only embedded in the middle of a tourist attraction deep underground, they are also buried underneath the remains of many others, piled one on top of the other in no particular order. Only the Lux Veritatis know the precise location of the remains. Unless Eckhardt has managed to force this information from a member of the Order, he will need to spend a significant amount of time in finding them.**

 **You may be wondering at this point how I'm expecting you to find them? Setting aside your own particular talents in relation to tomb raiding, which I believe will be of significant help, I have information on someone who should be able to lead you straight to these remains.**

 **Eckhardt believes he has disposed of the last of the Lux Veritatis. This is not the case. The gift of the Order lives on in a new generation. I have researched the genealogy of some of the Order's oldest families - Limoux, Heissturm, Vasiley.**

 **There are several potential leads contained in my research files. You will need to follow them until one brings you to a true Lux Veritatis warrior. They may not know it, but their bloodlines carry the gifts passed down for generations - supernatural gifts that will allow any of them to identify the bones of this Nephilim and pinpoint their location.**

 **Lara, I know that you traditionally work alone, but this is bigger than either of us. You will need all the help you can get. To stop Eckhardt, you will need the help of the Lux Veritatis, however weak the Order is at this moment in time.**

 **Unfortunately, I can't offer very much help to you beyond this. You'll find information in my files on the Order, their history and their mission, but as the Cabal has been hunting them for generations they've kept their membership extremely secret and I haven't been able to make contact with them. The best I can give you is that there were definite connections between the Order and the monks at the Abbey at Saint Germain-des-prés.**

 **I am sorry to place this burden on your shoulders, Lara. I'm sorry I have failed. I can only hope, for the sake of the world, that you do not.**

 **Werner**

Lara didn't move from her position on the kitchen stool for some time. The sheer size of the task that lay before her was overwhelming, and she sat in silence thinking until she heard Kurtis turning the key in the door.

Closing the door behind him, he approached her slowly.

"You ok?"

She heaved a sigh as she looked up at him.

"I think you should read this," she said as she stood and handed him the letter.

He took it and without another word sat down and started reading. She began searching the boxes of files for information on the Catacombs.

She had laid several sheets of useful information out on the kitchen unit, including maps with marks indicating Werner's educated guess as to where the Nephilim bones might be buried, by the time Kurtis stood up. He approached her in the kitchen, standing facing her with his palms flat on the unit. He looked tired.

He gave her a weak smile. "At least you don't have to worry about finding the Order, since the Order found you."

She returned his smile. "Lucky for me."

They spent the next hour going through the most immediately relevant of Werner's research.

"To reach the right place in the Catacombs, we'd have to enter as tourists and separate from the tour group. Naturally, where we need to go is off limits," Lara explained, pointing out the area on Werner's map. He had managed to identify a large section of the tunnel and confirm the bones would be there somewhere. It was a start, but they'd need more specific coordinates to have a chance of discovering the remains in time.

"Well, the sneaking off part won't be an issue at least," said Kurtis wryly.

"I think we need to look at this from another angle. You don't have any idea what Werner means by using your powers to pinpoint the location?"

"I have a few ideas but I'm not sure. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to know which bones are the Nephilim and which are human."

"Right. So maybe we follow up on the monks, try to make contact with someone connected to the Abbey? After all, the Lux Veritatis started out as a religious order right?"

"Christian monks, yup. Don't ask me how it ended up with me."

"A lot can happen in nine centuries."

He winked at her from across the kitchen unit.

"There's still the matter of Detective Vey. He might be able to help us get access to the catacombs without any sneaking at all. I think we should give him a call tomorrow, meet him somewhere safe," he said.

"Sounds like a plan."

By this point they were both dead on their feet. Glancing at the clock, Lara winced when she saw it was 3am.

"We should get some sleep and speak to the Detective in the morning," Kurtis said, heading up the spiral staircase without waiting for an answer. "We can try to find my long lost Brothers of the cloth after that," he added over his shoulder.

Lara glanced around the room. It was strewn with files and boxes and papers. This was precious information. She couldn't afford to run the risk of it being discovered.

This was the excuse she gave herself for spending the next twenty minutes meticulously packing up Werner's research and replacing it under the floorboards. It definitely had nothing to do with hoping Kurtis would be asleep by the time she got upstairs.

She rolled her eyes at herself.

 _Honestly Lara. You're really self conscious about him seeing you naked?_

It had been so long since she'd been romantically involved. She didn't have the best track record with men, either. She seemed to always pick the worst candidates to trust, and she was still smarting from the latest catastrophe.

 _I doubt many women can say they've literally assassinated their ex for trying to steal a supernatural weapon of mass destruction. Cheers for that one, Terry,_ she thought bitterly.

The experience with Terry had changed her. She was slower to trust, and found it harder to enjoy her sexuality. Before Terry, she had indulged in plenty of affairs and relationships, never taking anything too seriously, always taking her own enjoyment much the way men stereotypically took it from women. Now she was cautious, cynical. Kurtis' past as a mercenary disturbed her, almost as much as her undeniable attraction to him. But it was beyond an attraction at this point. There was something about this that felt like destiny.

Telling herself to snap out of it, she boxed up the last of Werner's files and climbed the stairs. Kurtis was either asleep or pretending to be, sprawled across the side of the bed nearest the window, his topless figure half covered by the sheets. Lara allowed herself a brief moment to appreciate him before she undressed and slipped into bed in just her t shirt. She felt vulnerable, but at this point she was too tired to worry much.

She was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.


	10. Chapter 10

After a few hours' fitful sleep, a few cups of coffee and some breakfast, they left the apartment to meet Detective Vey early that morning. He had given Lara the address of a "secure location" where they could talk without fear of being overheard by the wrong people. Still wary, she decided not to tell him about Kurtis. They both agreed the safest option was for her to meet Vey alone, while Kurtis watched over them, ready to step in if things got hairy. They left the apartment separately - Kurtis on his bike, while Lara made her way underground to take the Métro.

Vey had asked to meet her near the Jardin des Plantes, a quiet enough neighbourhood, though not where she had expected to be sent. As she climbed the steps up from the Métro, she could see the gate to the gardens almost straight across the road. There were very few people around. It was the middle of business hours, before lunch, and most people were safely tucked away in their schools or offices for the morning. She walked into the restaurant beside the garden gates, and as she pushed open the door she was hit with a wave of heat, a welcome change from the crisp but bitter winter temperatures outside.

Passing the bar in front, where a familiar hulking figure sat with his back to her, she made her way to a table in the back where she could see Vey sipping an espresso, reading Libération. Funny, she hadn't pegged him for a left wing-er.

She sat down without a word from either of them. The waiter immediately appeared. "Madame?". She ordered a double espresso, noting to herself that that would make 5 shots of coffee so far today and vaguely wondering if all this caffeine would one day catch up with her.

"Rough night?" asked Vey. "Something like that," she replied. "How can you be so sure this place is more secure than any other cafe?" she asked him. The detective knocked back the last of his coffee and gave her a knowing look. "The owner is an ex-cop, and a buddy of mine. Knows every gangster and weirdo in this city. If he says the place is clear, I believe him."

"Can't say fairer than that, I suppose," she said as the waiter brought her coffee.

"I'm afraid we must be brief all the same, for our time wears thin. I asked you yesterday if you could work with me, what is your answer?"

Lara narrowed her eyes at him. She didn't take kindly to ultimatums, but she couldn't deny they were under time pressure. The question was, how did he know how much pressure they were really under?

"I've had a pretty bad run lately when it comes to trust people, Detective. It doesn't come easily to me anymore, especially on this case. However, provisionally, yes, I think we can work together."

His face stayed as blank as it had been since she walked into the restaurant, but there was brief flicker of expression that said relief. Any police officer she'd worked with in the past had that perfect blank stare down to a fine art. They never gave away their emotions, not if they could help it. Vey was an old hand at this game, but she could tell this case was different.

"You said you had a personal stake in this. What is it?"

"It's not important. Really, it isn't. The important thing is that we stop the Cabal before it's too late. I told you yesterday that I had information that could lead us to them, contacts. I can give you all of this today, but I want you to share your information with me as well. Does that sound fair?"

Lara took a moment to sip her coffee and think about it. She nodded. "Fair enough, but my information, the research I've gathered, isn't here. To share it with you I'd need you to come to where I'm staying. I'm taking quite a leap of fair here, Detective."

"I understand. Since I approached you, I'll make the first leap. I know what happened in the Strahov, and I know no trace was found of Karel."

Lara took a silent moment to wonder how everyone seemed to know about Karel, but her.

"I discovered the truth about who was really controlling the Cabal only days ago, Ms Croft. When news of Eckhardt's death reached our police department, I thought that was the end of them. However, news from Interpol of another Monstrum killing, this time in Munich, taught me otherwise.

I began to ask around, probe a little bit among my contacts. It seemed to me many of the major players in the Cabal were eliminated in the Strahov. Remains identified as Kristina Boaz, Muller, Eckhardt, were all confirmed. However, there was no sign of Rouzic, Gunderson, or Karel.

I began to research the remaining three, searching for a ringleader. I found birth certificates for the first two, but for Karel...it's like he doesn't exist. I began to suspect he was not of this earth. Then an informant inside Louis Bouchard's organisation told me of horrifying things, punishments, that were dealt out to men who failed the Cabal. They were made examples for the rest, of the fate worse than death that awaited any who failed in their mission. Their mission to find the Obscura paintings."

Something started to click into place at the very back of Lara's mind. There was a thought, a conclusion, at the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't quite grasp it yet. Setting aside the niggling feeling, she focused on Vey again.

"You're right as far as Karel is concerned. He's not of this earth. Well, not 100%."

She paused. Was she really about to confess all this to a man she met yesterday?

Screw it, she thought. We're so far outside my comfort zone now, might as well keep going.

"He's a Nephilim," she finished.

The detective gave a deep sigh. "I suspected as much, but it's still horrific to have my suspicions confirmed. This is very serious."

Lara raised one eyebrow at him.

"That much is clear, Detective. What isn't quite so clear is where do we go from here?"

"I think, Ms Croft, that the next step is for us to share our research with each other and try to find a clear path to destroying Karel."

Lara pursed her lips. It was time to introduce Vey to Kurtis.

"Detective, have you by any chance come across the Lux Veritatis in your research?"

Vey frowned. "The ancient order the Church set up to stop the Nephilim?"

"The very one. What did you uncover about them?"

"Not very much. I was unable to locate any living members, it seems Eckhardt has assassinated the last of them. Unless you...?"

Lara couldn't help but give a quiet laugh.

"No, Detective, I'm not a member of the Lux Veritatis. But the man sitting at the bar is."

After the rather surprised Detective had been introduced to Kurtis and brought generally up to speed with his role in the case, they arranged for Vey to come to Werner's apartment later that evening with everything he had, so they could all put their heads together and formulate a plan.

In the meantime, Lara and Kurtis made their way to their next step - the Abbé Saint Germain.

They tossed a coin to decide who would drive the bike. Lara won, and Kurtis made a mental note to look up bike rental places so he could avoid another similar humiliation.

Veering in and out of traffic, navigating the busy Parisian streets with ease, Lara was preparing herself for a dead end. At least they had Vey's research to look forward to. They were inching towards a plan. It felt painfully slow, especially with the threat of Karel looming over them. She just hoped Kurtis wasn't the last Lux Veritatis knight left.

They pulled up outside the abbey, parking the bike easily. Motorbikes were really the only way to get around the city.

It looked like a normal enough abbey from the outside. White stone facade, with a tall tower ending in a dark grey pointed peak. Like so many of the buildings in Paris, it was old and beautiful.

"Werner's research mentioned a scriptorium that used to be housed here, holding manuscripts written and illustrated by the monks. If this abbey really is connected to the Order, what's the betting those manuscripts have something about the Nephilim inside?"

Kurtis glanced at her as they crossed the street. "I thought the scriptorium was destroyed in a fire after the Revolution?"

Lara sighed. "Yeah. Bit of a problem that. But I've not given up hope yet that some of the monks were clever enough to save the most important manuscripts. If they really were members of the Order, they'll have known the importance of preserving the information, right?"

Kurtis shrugged. "I never really got to the part where I was taught the history of the Order. My training was all offensive, there was never time enough to catch our breath let alone take a history lesson. But it does seem like the Order wouldn't let something like a fire destroy important information."

"That's the spirit," Lara said as they crossed the threshold of the abbey.

They had agreed to pose as history students again, since it worked so well in Prague. As they made their way past the pews in the church, Lara began to wonder if there was even anyone home to listen to their cover story. The church has that silence that seems to be exclusive to churches, and the smell of incense reached them before they were halfway to the altar. The walls at either side were adorned with carvings of the stations of the cross. Jesus carrying the cross, falling, meeting his mother Mary...they always creeped Lara out. Religious tales were always a bit gruesome for her taste. She gazed at the face of the Messiah, carved into a surprisingly peaceful expression for someone who was about to be crucified. She wondered what he would make of their little predicament. Whose idea had it been to let angels hang out on Earth anyway?

Kurtis was on the far side of the church, parallel with Lara, when someone emerged from the confessional box in front of him. Lara saw a little old lady step out into the aisle, almost bumping in Kurtis with a surprised "Aiee!". The French equivalent of "eek!". The woman scurried around Kurtis and made a hasty exit. Lara cut across the church towards Kurtis, but before she could reach him, the other door to the confessional had opened and a priest emerged dressed all in black. His white collar stood out dramatically as he turned to face Kurtis, who was still standing politely to one side to let him pass when Lara started to edge between pews on his side of the church.

She heard the priest's sharp intake of breath as he took in Kurtis. He raised a trembling hand towards her partner, almost as if he thought Kurtis was a ghost.

"Konstantin?" he said in a breathy voice, before falling to the floor in a dead faint.


	11. Chapter 11

"He's heavier than he looks," grunted Kurtis as he and Lara carried the unconscious priest up towards the altar of the church. There was a door behind the altar that opened into a small room with several chairs and a desk.

They lowered their cargo into a comfortable-looking armchair in the corner of the room. He was starting to come to by the time they stepped back.

Kurtis and Lara shared a look of apprehension as the priest opened his eyes and looked at both of them. Lara had originally put him in his 80s, but he looked less delicate in the light. His hair was white, and piercing blue eyes not unlike Kurtis' betrayed his old age, but she revised her estimate to early 70s because this man was not fragile. There was a broad set to his shoulders, and a softness to his skin that should have disappeared with age. If he was past 80, he was unnaturally youthful for it. That assessment of course begged the question - how could the mere sight of Kurtis have caused him to faint?

His eyes widened as he took the two of them in, but he stayed conscious. A good start. They shared another look, and Lara nodded silently. They shouldn't speak until he did. She had a moment to appreciate the fact she and Kurtis could communicate without speaking, before the priest sat forward abruptly. He began rubbing his hands over his arms at a furious speed, hugging himself in the chair as if he was cold. Since the church was well heated, it had to be a reaction to something else.

"You're not Konstantin," he said, wide eyes focused on Kurtis. "So much power...I can feel your power crawling over my skin. Who are you?"

Lara turned to look at Kurtis, startled. This man could feel Kurtis' power? She was betting they'd found another member of the Lux Veritatis, or at the very least someone with a talent for spotting them.

Kurtis had a carefully blank, but hard, look on his face. "How did you know Konstantin?"

The priest continued rubbing his arms as he answered. "We sheltered Konstantin and his brothers of the Order when they were fighting in the Shadow War. He was our friend and protector, until he disappeared. You look so much like him. You must be his son?!"

An excited smile spread across the old man's face as the realisation dawned on him.

Kurtis' expression stayed on lockdown, but he gave a curt nod. He was fighting to stay as blank as possible, but this must have been getting to him. Lara had the urge to touch him, but squashed it down. This wasn't her gig.

"Kurtis. Your father said you'd come one day. He said that you would finish the Order's work, destroy the Nephilim once and for all."

Kurtis gave a bitter laugh. "My father always did like to write cheques I couldn't cash."

The priest looked a little puzzled. He shook it off, however, and rose slowly from his seat.

"I apologise, I'm being very rude, I haven't even introduced myself. I am Abbé Jean Limoux." He offered his hand first to Kurtis, who after a short hesitation, shook it. Then he turned to Lara, who had been beginning to feel like a third wheel.

"I'm sorry, madame, are you also a member of the Order?"

Interesting that he didn't lead with an assumption that she was Kurtis' wife. Lara shook his hand, smiling warmly. "Lara Croft, and no, I have no connections to the Order. I became involved in the...situation...through a different avenue."

He nodded, rising from his chair. Lara put out a hand to steady him, but found the old man had regained his composure quickly and was sure on his feet.

"We three have much to speak about. Will you join me for a cup of coffee in the refectory?" He gestured behind him and they followed him through the door, out into a pleasant garden and across a courtyard into what Lara assumed was lodgings for the monks. _Not bad digs_ , she thought to herself. The Abbé picked up a phone in the hall of the building and spoke quickly and quietly in French. "My housekeeper will be here shortly with some refreshments. If you'll follow me through here..."

They entered a room with a large dining table taking up most of the space, and sat together at one end of the table.

"I do apologise for my reaction upon seeing you, Mr Heissturm, it's just I had never expected to see Konstantin again and you look so like him..."

Kurtis interrupted, somewhat gruffly. "It's Kurtis Trent now, actually."

Lara resisted the urge to kick her partner under the table. Why was he being so rude to the abbot?

"My apologies, Mr Trent," said the priest after a slightly confused pause.

A middle aged woman entered the room bearing a tray with a pot of coffee and a plate of pastries. The abbot smiled at her. "Merci, Laure," he said as she laid them down on the table. After he assured her they didn't need anything else, she nodded and smiled at them and left, but not before she cast a curious and knowing glance at both their visitors. Lara had a moment to wonder whether everyone in the abbey was somehow sensitive to Kurtis' powers, then the abbot drew her attention back to him.

"Please, help yourselves to a croissant," said Limoux, as he poured coffee into three cups. When everyone had a pastry and a cup of coffee, he seemed to gather himself before he said the next:

"Mr Trent, I know that you were estranged from your father and the Order. You must have many questions, which I would be glad to answer. I have but one for you - does your presence in my abbey mean that you have rejoined the Shadow War?"

His voice was almost as careful as his expression. He had realised that Kurtis needed careful handling, at least around the issue of the Order. Lara held her breath as she waited for Kurtis to respond.

Kurtis sighed, and addressed his cup of coffee rather than the abbot when he answered. "Yes. After my father was killed, his weapons were brought to me by another member of the Order. I've been working since then to bring down the Cabal. Lara and I joined forces in Prague, but apparently Eckhardt wasn't the ultimate evil that I thought he was." He raised his eyes to meet the abbot's gaze as he continued, somewhat bitterly: "There was more to it, more than I'd been made aware of. A real Nephilim is the true controller of the Cabal. Karel. Did the Order know this?"

Limoux shook his head, though he didn't exactly look surprised. "There are those of us who suspected there was a greater power than Eckhardt lurking in that organisation, but we had not been able to confirm it. This is serious news. If there is a true Nephilim among us, there is no time to waste. We need to act quickly."

Lara interjected: "Actually Abbé, we're a little further into the plot than you know." She proceeded to fill him in on their adventures so far, up until the point where she used the Sanglyph to destroy the Sleeper and wound Karel.

Limoux's expression remained carefully blank throughout her story. When she was finished, he took a sip of his coffee and seemed to be mulling everything over for a few moments. Lara glanced at Kurtis. He shrugged. They were both in uncharted territory now, both hoping Limoux held the key to defeating Karel. Finally, the abbot spoke:

"It is unsurprising that the destruction of the Sleeper did not destroy Karel. The overload of new blood was too much for the specimen, but Karel is living and breathing and has been for longer than I care to imagine. However, this may buy us some time to prepare a weapon that can destroy him once and for all."

Lara sat forward. "You know of such a weapon?"

Limoux held up a hand. "I don't wish to build up your hopes. Our manuscripts tell of a weapon that can destroy the Nephilim. It is what allegedly destroyed one of the creatures centuries ago, here in Paris. However, the weapon itself is lost to us. We have only the barest details of how it worked, and those details have not led me to be optimistic about replicating it. But we must try."

Lara was about to ask where these manuscripts were when there was a knock on the door. A word from Limoux and Laure the housekeeper entered. She told him in rapid French that there was a man in the church asking to see the abbot.

Limoux looked surprised, but started to rise from his seat. "If you'll excuse me a moment, I'm sure this won't take long," he said.

"Wait." They all turned to Kurtis, who suddenly looked extremely tense. He asked Laure in perfect French (another language to add to his repertoire, Lara thought) to describe the man asking to see the abbot. Lara's stomach lurched when she heard the description.

"Tall, very tall, and strong. Bald, with a goatee beard. A strong German accent when he speaks. But he speaks good French," she said.

"Gunderson," said Kurtis.

"Shit," said Lara.


	12. Chapter 12

After a brief but argumentative discussion they decided it would best if Limoux went to speak to Gunderson, to find out what he wanted. Lara and Kurtis would watch from a safe distance, in case the mercenary had plans to hurt the abbot. As the abbot entered through the back door, Lara and Kurtis circled around the building to a side door that led up to the balcony overlooking the church. Crouching beside the enormous organ that took up most of the balcony, they watched the old man approach the imposing German. Both had their guns drawn.

They couldn't hear what was being said, but it wouldn't take a genius to read Gunderson's body language. He was desperate. Lara could almost feel the tension pouring off him in waves. Something had happened to mess up his plan, and suddenly Lara was regretting allowing the abbot step into the line of fire. "I don't like this," she whispered into Kurtis' ear. "He's tense. Something's wrong."

Kurtis nodded, and turned to whisper back: "We need to get down there. We won't be able to do anything from up here if things get hairy".

Peering down from the balcony, their discussion died down when they saw a second figure approach Gunderson and the Abbé, hands out in a sort of calm-down gesture. His painfully thin figure and long hair immediately identified him for both Lara and Kurtis. "Luter Rouzic," Lara whispered, "what are you doing here?" she said softly to no one in particular. With a quick nod to Kurtis, she began to move towards the stairs. They needed to get closer.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, they hugged the wall on either side of the open archway leading back into the church. From here it was possibly to make out the Abbé's facial expressions. Lara had worked hard on her lip reading over many years spent sneaking around. She could make out Limoux's "Gentlemen, I'm afraid you've been deceived. While this Abbey was indeed associated with some now defunct Orders of the Church, most of us regard these as fairy tales with no grounding in reality. Certainly no one alive today remembers anything of this Order you speak of, and as you'll know Professor Rouzic, our scriptorium was sadly burned to the ground long ago."

Rouzic's back was to Lara and Kurtis, but they saw him reach out a hand and touch the Abbé's shoulder. As soon as he made contact, the man's face went slack. Rouzic said something to him, and the Abbé nodded slowly, eyes empty. "Of course, Professor. I can help you, whatever you need." To Lara's horror, she watched Rouzic and Gunderson lead the Abbé towards the main door of the church. Great, Rouzic was packing some supernatural weapons. Lara and Kurtis were frozen where they stood, with no good options available. If they attacked, they outed themselves and risked collateral damage. If they didn't, the abbot would gladly skip out of there with his captors thanks to Rouzic's mind control.

Laure, who had been standing to the side of the altar watching nervously, came forward. As the group got closer to their hiding place, Lara and Kurtis were able to pick up the conversation. "But Abbé, what of your work here? You can't just leave, you have afternoon appointments!" she sounded panicked. She knew something wasn't right.

Rouzic took the woman's hand as they continued to walk towards the door, patting it gently. His next words echoed back to Lara and Kurtis as all four passed by them "My dear lady, the Abbé has important work to complete for us. We have need of his expertise for a very important project. He will return to you once his work is complete, don't worry."

Gunderson, who had been keeping pace with the group while retaining his earlier tension, paused, allowing them to continue past him. His eyes narrowing, he started to glance all around him, searching. Lara and Kurtis pushed further into their hiding place, concealed from his sight. Still, as if he had scented them, he seemed to know. Frantic thoughts ran through Lara's head, but he couldn't know they were here. They had concealed the motorbike well, so unless Vey had betrayed them...the thought made her blood run cold.

Gunderson made an abrupt gesture with his arm, and a large muscular man in a black coat approached him. He spoke a few short sentences to the man, who nodded and started to walk purposefully towards them. Gunderson continued after the Abbé and Rouzic, leaving his henchman to clear the area. Lara and Kurtis edged back further into the darkness, guns drawn. It probably wouldn't help her karma to kill someone inside a church, but Lara figured it was a bit late to worry about karma at this stage.

The man was about to walk through the archway when a voice stopped him. A voice both Lara and Kurtis recognised from mere hours before. "Police, stop and place your hands on your head."

The Cabal henchman might never know how lucky he had gotten. Leaving Vey to arrest him, Lara followed Kurtis back up the stairs and they edged around the upper level of the church to peer out through a stained glass window. They were just in time to see Gunderson hastily get into a large black SUV after the Abbé, and speed off. Evidently he wasn't too concerned for his man, and didn't fancy being caught by law enforcement himself.

Kurtis cursed softly under his breath, tucking his gun away out of sight. Lara followed suit, closing her eyes for a moment and pressing her forehead against the glass. "He was our only real lead, and now the Cabal have him. Great."

Commotion below them reminded them their new ally was still dealing with Gunderson's muscle. Lara glanced at Kurtis, forehead still pressed to the glass. "What now?" she asked. "I think our new friend might have plans for Gunderson's man down there. Why don't we help him out some?" Kurtis responded, a grim set to his mouth. Without the Abbé, they were effectively back to square one, and the enemy was several steps ahead. Unless...a thought struck Lara. "It's a long shot, but do you think maybe Laure down there was in on the Abbé's secret? And if so, what are the odds she knows where to find the manuscripts we need?"

Kurtis stopped mid-stride and looked back at her. "Worth a shot," he conceded, giving her a slight smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Won't help the Abbé though," he added, a haunted look in his eyes. Lara felt a familiar weight settle at the bottom of her stomach. The guilt of allowing the Abbé be taken by the Cabal, of allowing him to even confront Gunderson in the first place, was going to weigh heavily on her shoulders. Guilt followed her everywhere in her job and her life, she was used to it. She was also used to pushing it aside when there was an important job at hand. "No, it may not, but maybe it will help us find a solution," she responded, somewhat angrily. Kurtis had picked a fine time to start letting things get to him. She was reminded once again why she worked alone.

When they got to the bottom of the stairs, Vey had the Cabal henchman handcuffed and pressed against the wall of the church, and a small group of scandalised worshipers were looking on. "Alright, Baptiste, I guess that's your name this week, but you've got a rap sheet as long as my arm under four or five other, just as pretty names. I'm betting my friends in the station will have no problem identifying you from CCTV footage and surveillance photos."

So Gunderson's muscle was a seasoned criminal, no surprises there. What was a surprise was that he hadn't managed to wipe out his record somehow. Hiring a man with a record seemed like too much of a liability. Surely Gunderson had enough staff to choose from without stooping to these levels? Setting the thought aside, Lara approached Vey.

"Detective, we meet again," she said wryly. From beside her Kurtis added "Popular place for a quick prayer, this abbey." They had both guessed their new "ally" had followed them from the café. Neither of them was pleased about it.

Not looking away from his perp, the detective gave a bitter laugh. "Yes, yes, popular indeed. Why don't we capitalise on this happy coincidence? Help me get this dirtbag into my car and we can talk on the way to the station."

Lara and Kurtis exchanged a look. When she shrugged, Kurtis approached Vey and grabbed on to the man's right arm, while Vey took the left. They escorted him out to the waiting car. Lara hung back to speak to Laure, who was wringing her hands at the front door, staring out at the road. Lara touched the woman's shoulder gently. "Laure" she said. The Frenchwoman jumped, turning around to look at her. "He just left! Why did he just leave?" she all but screeched at Lara, grabbing her shoulders. "Laure, I need to ask you something. Do you or any of the other priests here know about the manuscripts the Abbé was telling us about?" she said in a low voice. Laure gave her wide eyes. "I don't know what you need to know, but I know someone that does."

Lara breathed a sigh of relief. Their lead wasn't totally lost. "Who?" she asked, but Laure started to shake her head furiously. "It's not safe now, the Abbé said if he was ever taken...I was to.." she took a deep breath. "I know that he would want me to help you. I have arrangements to make, but if you bring your partner back tonight I will tell you what you need to know." Lara considered this. "How can you be sure you're safe? You may be targeted too, Laure." Laure gave her a dignified look. "I did not get this job by mere luck, Lady Croft. I can handle myself, and I can assure you that those people do not see me as a threat. I have made sure of it. Come back here tonight, and we will go from there."

It seemed as though a different woman stood before Lara, and she wondered was Laure in fact the best actress she'd come across in a while. Her distressed housekeeper act had kept her off the Cabal's radar, but that distress was gone now, and all Lara could do was trust that she knew what she was doing.

When Lara rejoined Kurtis and the detective they had already bundled Baptiste into the back of the car. Lowering his voice, Vey leaned closer to them both as they stood by the car and said "I think we can get more information out of this guy if we keep him out of the system. I have a few guys from work who are on my side, but most of them don't believe in the Cabal, and those are the good ones. If I bring him in, we can't hold him for very long and we certainly can't question him about all of this," he gestured at the abbey. "I want to bring him to our base of operations, if you'll come with me."

"Base of operations? You never let on that you had a full team with you when we spoke this morning," Lara said suspiciously. "I'm sorry, I wasn't totally honest, but you can't blame me for being slow to trust."

Lara sighed. "You didn't happen to get the number plate of the SUV that was parked outside here did you?"  
"The car that the Abbé left in?"

Lara blinked at him. "You saw that and you didn't try to stop it?"

"I'm not the only one who was too afraid to confront Gunderson. Him alone would have been bad enough, but the guy who joined him ups the stakes big time."  
""You know him?" Kurtis asked. Vey nodded. "But we can't keep discussing this out in the open. Are you coming with me or not?"  
They exchanged another glance. Eventually, Kurtis nodded. "We'll follow you on my bike." he said.

For the first time since they started working together, Lara was feeling less than certain of her partner as they sped through the streets on the bike, following the detective's car. She was irritated and disappointed that he seemed to be letting the Abbé's kidnapping get him down, and also felt vaguely like he was blaming her. That usually meant she was blaming herself. To make matters worse, she was allowing her feelings for him to take precedence over all else in her thoughts, and that was not good. For once she was happy not to be driving, using the time to consider her options. If she had any sense she'd tell Kurtis they should back off on the romance for now. It only served to cloud her judgement, and probably his as well. But she couldn't take back the kiss, and worse still, she didn't want to. She couldn't deny that until this point they had worked together extremely well. Closing her eyes for a long moment as the air whipped at her neck under her helmet, she decided it was too late for any of this. They were effectively stuck together. A thought that made her feel uncomfortable, but she was nothing if not practical. The aim was to survive long enough to save the world. They'd consider the other implications if and when they had the luxury of time and safety.

She was finally pulled away from her thoughts when she started to recognise the streets they drove through. She couldn't help but smile as she passed the street corner where she had first seen Kurtis on this very bike. It felt like years ago, but it was just over a week. They were back in the Parisian ghetto.

Parking the bike down an alley near Vey's car, they got off and joined him by a manhole. Again, Lara had a sense of déjà vu. "Detective..." she began, but just then the manhole lifted and a head appeared from underneath. It was a woman with short blonde hair who lifted her face to them. She nodded to Vey. "This is them?" she asked. Vey nodded.

Now Lara had to ask. "Detective, as far as I was aware this is an entrance to Louis Bouchard's hideout. Are you working with his people?" Vey looked surprised. "You have a very intricate knowledge of our sewer system, Lady Croft. Yes, this was Bouchard's hideout. We raided it some days ago and established it as our base. It's proved very useful now that we don't trust our colleagues at the station." Lara frowned. It was starting to sound like the Paris police had a Cabal mole.

Without further ado, they found themselves clambering down the manhole.

Goodie,thought Lara, a third trip to the sewers this month.


	13. Chapter 13

**Margot Carvier's apartment, last week**

She watched Werner's protégée leave from her bedroom window. The woman was nimble for someone who had been presumed dead until recently, she thought as she watched her climb into the alley and run in the direction of the shadows.

Margot Carvier heaved a sigh of both sadness and relief as she perched on her couch waiting for the police to arrive. Werner's loss had affected her deeply, and not just because they were friends. Before his death, he had warned her that she was on the radar of some very bad people, and advised her to watch her back. This was around the time he gave her his field notebook. She had written it off as paranoia at first, but there was no denying it now: she was in danger. The Monstrum had come for Werner, and she feared she might be next.

An observer of the scene might have noticed the straight set to Margot's back as she sat alone in her apartment. They might have remarked on the grim set of her mouth or the stern look in her eyes. This was not a woman who gave in easily. Her work in the Louvre was too important for her to simply disappear. She had devoted her life to history and archaeology, and what she was about to unearth could change the face of history. She had not reached this point in her career by allowing men's threats to deter her. However, she had never had her life threatened before either.

There was a knock on the door "Police, open up!". Margot rose and calmly went to the door.

"Officers, I'm afraid the suspect has escaped, I'm so sorry."

The men in riot gear spread out across her apartment, searching for Lady Croft. Margot had delayed pushing her panic button as long as possible, unsure if she could trust the woman. In the end, it had been sheer skittishness that had caused her to activate the alarm system her niece had given her after Werner's death. Now, she had wasted the officers' time. Not to mention her apartment was about to be ransacked by an overzealous SWAT team. She watched them work from the corner of the room.

Her niece came through the door some moments later, dressed in plainclothes, her blonde pixie cut shining under the lights. It was still raining hard outside, evidently. One might call it pathetic fallacy, given the general mood in Paris these days was of fear and sadness.

"Sarah, it's alright, I'm fine. I'm sorry for wasting your time," she said as her niece approached to kiss her cheeks in greeting.

"Please, Margot, don't apologise. I told you when I gave you that alarm that you were to use it if you felt the least bit threatened. I'm just glad it's a false alarm. Tell me, what happened?"

Margot shook her head. "I just need to sit down for a moment. Would you like a cup of coffee?"

Understanding immediately, Sarah shooed the other police away. Luckily she was senior enough to be listened to, a position hard won after years of service. The women of the Carvier family didn't let institutional sexism get in their way.

When they were alone, sitting at the dining table with two cups of black coffee, Margot told her niece the whole story. Sarah listened quietly, studying her aunt's face as she spoke.

When she finished, Sarah sat in silence for a moment. "Margot, you don't really believe this woman could be the Monstrum, do you?"

Margot met her niece's gaze. She was unwavering when she said "No."

Sarah shook her head. "Everyone in the police department, hell all of Interpol are convinced! It's baffling, there's virtually no evidence, everything is circumstantial. They're putting all their resources into pursuing her instead of conducting a full investigation. But no-one is listening to me. It's like they're under some sort of spell."

At that, Margot sat a little straighter in her chair and fixed her niece with an intense gaze. "Sarah, you mustn't speak of such theories publicly. We do not know what is causing this, but what we do know is that people who ask too many questions or appear to be deviant in any way are punished. I don't want you to become a target. Please."

It was a plea Sarah had heard several times over the past few days. She understood, and agreed with her aunt that there was no use sticking her head above the parapet only to have it chopped off.

She sighed, finishing her coffee. "Alright, Margot. I'll keep my head down. But you need to do the same. I meant what I said - I'd be more comfortable if you would move in with me."

Margot would of course never agree to moving in with Sarah. The girl was like a daughter to her, and she hadn't spent her life guiding and supporting her to put her in danger now.

She gave a weak smile. "Thank you, darling. I know you mean that, but honestly I'm fine. I have my panic button, and look how fast you all got here! I need to be here if I'm going to get any work done. If what I'm doing is important enough to make me a target, then I must complete it. Anyway, you snore like a pot bellied pig," she added, smile widening to a grin.

Sarah gave an indignant chuckle. "Margot!" But she was smiling anyway.

Margot Carvier was not a woman who joked around often, but her niece softened her more than anyone else ever could.

Unfortunately, in the end, that was exactly what gave the Monstrum the perfect opportunity to strike.

 **Paris sewers, today**

Lara was careful to watch her step as she followed the detective, their prisoner and their guide through the sewers leading to Bouchard's hideout. She had come across several nasty gaps, holes and hazards on her last visit here. Pausing to test some of the stones in front of her, she felt Kurtis run into her back with a grunt. He put out a hand to steady himself and was suddenly gripping her waist.

Now pressed against her, he lingered just slightly longer than was polite, then leaned down a little and whispered "sorry" against her hair before stepping around her. Lara stayed frozen to the spot for a split second, slightly distracted by the proximity, then forced herself to keep moving. Kurtis, now slightly ahead of her, glanced back at her with the barest shadow of a grin. Bastard. Still, better a mischievous tease for a partner than someone bogged down in guilt.

They followed the passage until it widened out into the rooms she had met Bouchard in last week. It seemed a lifetime ago. The chambers had more furniture now: tables and chairs, maps and charts on the walls, along with whiteboards covered in writing. Detective Vey's rogue police had been busy.

Upon reaching the biggest room they came across a group of three - two men and one woman. All in plainclothes, but all presumably police officers. They were standing with their backs to the door, looking at a map of Paris and talking quietly.

Vey introduced them as Tristan Ancery, Christophe Bonté, and Emilie Duriel. All nodded silently to Lara and Kurtis, before questioning Vey about the man in handcuffs. Without another word to Lara and Kurtis, they brought Baptiste into a room to the back, shutting the door. Lara and Kurtis were left with their blonde haired guide.

Shaking their hands, she introduced herself: "I'm Sarah Carvier. It's good to finally meet you both."

Lara raised an eyebrow. "Finally?"

Sarah looked sheepish. "We've been following your journey for some days now. Even before, I knew of you as the chief suspect in the Monstrum case. I never believed you were behind those crimes. That was my first clue that something was very wrong in the station."

"Hold on. You said you name was Carvier. Are you any relation of -"

"Her niece." Sarah cut Lara off abruptly before she could say the name. Her eyes looked cold and dead as she said it.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you. And thank you for avenging her."

At that moment, a piercing scream cut through the air from the back room.

It was Kurtis who confronted the issue. "They're torturing him?" He asked, no inflection, just matter of fact.

Sarah was similarly cold in her response: "they'll do what they have to to find out what he knows. All of us have had to step up and do what was needed this past week."

Swallowing past the rising nausea, Lara asked "have all of you lost a loved one to the Cabal...?"

Sarah nodded.

Lara wasn't about to get into an argument about Baptiste, but torture had never been her style. What about Kurtis? He had gone very still and silent beside her.

The screams grew louder. Lara had had enough. She turned on her heel and marched out, away, just far enough to not hear the screams.

She was halfway down the corridor when she came across a closed door. Impulse and desperation made her wrench it open, step inside, slam it behind her and lean back against it, heaving a sigh of relief as the sound of Baptiste's agony was finally muffled.

Staring into the room beyond, she recognised it from her last visit. There were crates and general debris and litter covering what she could see, and as far as she remembered around the corner was where Bouchard's injured man had lain, disfigured and writhing in pain...what had his name been?

She could hear soft beeping, like the beeping of monitors in a hospital. Following the room around, she found that beyond the debris and the shadows was a well-lit area with a hospital bed, covered with a curtain and no doubt surrounded by the beeping monitors.

Lara connected the dots just as the curtain was drawn back to reveal a middle aged woman with a stethoscope around her neck and a needle in one hand.

The woman jumped when she saw Lara. "Who are you?" She asked suspiciously.

"I'm sorry to have disturbed you, I'm Lara Croft. Detective Vey brought me here. My partner and I are here to help."

Drawing the curtain around the bed so Lara's view was still blocked, the doctor nodded. "And you came into this room because...?"

"I'm afraid I needed a break from what was going on in the back room there."

The other woman closed her eyes briefly. "They're torturing someone else, aren't they?" She asked in a quiet voice. Lara nodded.

Without another word, the doctor crossed to a small metal table and began to busy herself with equipment there, throwing the used needle into a sharps bin. Without turning around, she asked "Did the detective explain to you that this is a sick bay?"

"No. But I think I've met the patient before."

She turned around now. "When?"

"I came here last week to meet with Louis Bouchard. That's Arnaud behind the curtain, isn't it?"

The other woman pursed her lips.

Lara took a small step closer. "Arnaud Vey, son of Dr Marie Lartigue and Detective Pierre Vey?"

"Pierre told you all this?" The woman asked in a shocked tone.

"No. I ran a background check before agreeing to work with him. Would I be correct in saying that you are Dr Lartigue?"

Marie sighed. "Yes. When Bouchard vacated this premises, he contacted Arnaud's friends to come and get him. They in turn contacted me, unsure what to do. It wasn't safe to move him. What that monster did to him...no hospital would understand. Even if he was well enough to be moved, I don't trust the authorities not to take him from me if I make them aware of this."

"I'm so sorry," Lara said. She was doing a lot of sympathising today. The Monstrum had left quite a trail of destruction in this city.

"Lady Lara Croft, I heard you were the prime suspect. Laughable. I'm not sure how much Pierre told you, but their pursuit of you was proof enough that the Paris police cannot be trusted. It seems clear now that they have been infiltrated by the Cabal. Trust no one outside these walls."

I may not even trust anyone within these walls, thought Lara. No sooner had she thought it than she heard Kurtis call "Lara?"

She turned to Marie. "That's my partner. Are you ok with him knowing about this?"

Marie seemed to take a moment to consider, before nodding. "Bring him through. Everyone on our side needs to know about this, it will increase our chances of discovering a cure."

Lara crossed back through the chamber until she saw Kurtis standing near the door. "Hey, there you are," he said with a gentle smile. No question of whether she was alright, no platitudes about what was going on in the room beyond. Thankful once again for her partner's sensitivity and practicality, she gestured to him with a nod to come join her. Frowning a little, he followed her through.

Lara allowed the two to introduce themselves, unsure what level of detail to go into. In the end, Kurtis withheld his Lux Veritatis background and stuck with his name.

When Marie pulled the curtain back and allowed Kurtis to see Arnaud, his face fell and he looked away almost instantly. After a moment, he turned and strode across the room. With his back to them, he said "I don't need to see anymore. I'm familiar with this kind of injury."

Marie dropped the curtain in shock, crossing the room to him, standing so she could see his face. "You have? Please, you have to tell me everything you know, I haven't been able to find any documented cases!"

Lara stayed by the curtain, looking at Arnaud through the gap. He was unconscious, but still his face was screwed up in pain, as if even sleep couldn't stop his suffering. The left side of his body was shining silver, almost metal but not quite, and his breathing was laboured and rattling.

Kurtis turned around, not looking at the doctor but at Lara. His eyes were full of pain.

"When I was in the Foreign Legion, we were attacked by an unseen supernatural force while we were deployed in Rwanda. I managed to fight it off, it was just an echo of power, a shadow sent to stir up fear. But before I could clear it, it attacked my friend where he slept. I interrupted, so it couldn't finish the job. My friend was left alive, but crippled like this." He stopped, crossing the room back to where Lara stood. Looking down at Arnaud, he continued: "that was a long time ago. He was sent home in an air ambulance, but last I heard he was in an induced coma. Doctors just had no idea what to do with him. I don't think the answer lies in modern medicine, doctor."

Marie's eyes were shining with unshed tears. "Neither do I. Tell me, did you do any research into Lux Veritatis healing since that incident?"

Kurtis frowned "I see you're as well informed as your husband."

She nodded. "Pierre thought there were members out there somewhere. Your secret is safe with us."

"I had very limited access to information about the Order, so no, I haven't researched healing. But I haven't given up on him, and now I have another reason to keep searching."

Marie let some of the tears fall onto her cheeks, whispering "thank you."

Sarah and the other police officers were sitting around a table discussing something when they walked back in.

Looking up, Detective Vey said "ah, welcome back. We have good news, and bad news."

Lara and Kurtis stayed standing. "Ok, give it to us," said Kurtis.

"We know why they took the Abbé, but not where. The good news is they need him alive. The bad news is they're going to use him to uncover the bones of a Nephilim hidden in our city's catacombs. Our friend Baptiste doesn't know much, but he does know the priest is the only man alive who can locate the bones and extract them."

After a long moment's silence, Lara piped up. "Well, I don't know about you lot but I've always liked a challenge."

Beside her Kurtis gave a snort of laughter.

Vey and his team didn't look too pleased. Possibly time to leave them to it, thought Lara.

"We have a lead we need to follow up tonight. We'll report back here when we have more information. How do we reach you?"

Vey stood. "Let one of us accompany you."

Kurtis and Lara both said "No." at the same time. After a slight shared smile, Lara gestured for Kurtis to elaborate. "Detective, a crowd descending on this place might attract the wrong kind of attention. You need to lay low in case you give yourselves away to whoever is working for the Cabal from inside the police force. Besides, when we agreed to work with you there as no mention of a constant police escort."

Vey looked like he was thinking about arguing, but then thought better of it.

"We'll trust you to keep us in the loop and share information as we have shared it with you, Mr Trent. Don't let us down."

"We won't, Detective."

They exited through the back route Lara took on her last visit, climbing up into an alley before setting off to the bike.

They had been walking through the deserted streets in silence for a few minutes when Lara felt Kurtis' hand on her arm. He shoved her gently down the alley to their left. In seconds she was against the wall in the shadows with Kurtis pressing her into it.

She had a brief moment to look into his eyes and see an intensity that tightened things low in her body, before his lips were on hers. There was none of the softness of their first kiss now, and as he kissed her almost violently, she wound her arms around him to pull him harder into her. Sliding her hands under his t shirt and up his broad back, she felt a sharp shock of desire at the feel of his skin under her hands. She returned his kiss, harder and more passionate, and for a brief moment forgot where she was, forgot everything except the sensation of his hands on her body, of every inch of him pressing into every inch of her.

They broke apart, each breathing heavily. Still pressed close, Kurtis stared into her eyes. In that moment she would have done anything he asked her to do, as long as it involved getting even closer to him.

Then, gradually, the intense look faded from his face, replaced by the mischievous grin she was growing to love. She felt herself smile without thinking.

"My my, aren't you forward," she said, her voice coming out husky and low.

He laughed then, and after the tension of the past day it was a wonderful sound.

She extracted her hands from under his clothes, sliding them up his torso to rest on his shoulders instead. He stepped back a little, hands resting on her hips. She nearly fell forward as his weight stopped pressing her into the wall. He gave her another quick kiss, then released her completely and started walking back out of the alley without a word.

She took a moment to gather herself, and as she started to follow him he glanced back, still grinning. Delighted with the effect he had on her. Rolling her eyes at him, she followed him back to the motorbike and they left the Parisian ghetto together.


	14. Chapter 14

Lara's new mobile phone rang as she and Kurtis were walking back into Werner's apartment.

"Hello?"

"Lara?"

She grinned automatically at the sound of her friend's voice. She'd been expecting this call. She couldn't keep the happiness from her voice when she answered:

"Bryce! Not bad, a less than 24 hour response must mean you're somewhere in Europe?"

Lara hadn't seen Bryce since before Egypt. He'd left to "find himself" in his giant camper van with its multitude of antennae and satellite dishes. How he still flew under the radar with all that gear she'd never know. He'd been checking in with Winston and Hillary so he was fairly up to date on Lara's latest adventure.

"To be honest I was tempted to leave you hanging a big longer," he sniffed. "Bit miffed you did the Louvre without me."

Lara sighed. "You know full well I'd have preferred to have you involved. More to the point, where are you now?"

"I'm outside."

"Shit! Bryce, you'll draw attention to us!" Lara was already striding across the room to find the remote for Werner's private underground parking space. She hit the button and gave Bryce instructions on parking, while he chuckled on the other end.

"What do you take me for? I haven't turned up with the whole shebang! I'm out here in a nice Renault people carrier like any typical French family man. I'll park up, but I could use a hand with the equipment."

Half an hour and several trips to the car park later, Lara and Kurtis had carried mountain of crates up to the apartment. When she had set the last one down, she turned to Bryce to ask if he'd brought the kitchen sink, too, and was caught by surprise as he enveloped her in a bear hug.

There was an odd silence for a moment.

"What, no smart remarks?" She asked.

Still holding her tightly, Bryce let out a sigh. He stepped back and she was shocked and embarrassed to see he was wiping at watery eyes.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "Not everyday your best friend comes back from the dead, gets chased around Europe by the police, almost dies again, then calls you up for a coffee like old times."

Lara felt a prickle of tears at the back of her eyes and fought to suppress them. She really had done a number on the people that cared about her. That was her though - it honestly never occurred to her that her death, and resurrection, would hit other people this hard. She suddenly felt very guilty for not calling Bryce sooner.

"Bryce...I had no idea there was a human heart in there amongst all the metal and wires," she joked weakly. She put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. He looked up at her, eyes glassy.

"I'm fine, Bryce, that's the main thing. I'm sorry I didn't call you sooner, I'm a selfish cow. Thank you for coming to Paris to cover my ass again." He smiled at the last comment. He loved when she admitted she needed him. It didn't happen often.

"Right, well, now I've made you feel sufficiently guilty, would you like to see what goodies I brought you?"

Kurtis, who had remained silent throughout the emotional reunion, piped up at this: "Goodies?"

Bryce gave Kurtis a wink. "You may not know me that well yet, but you're about to really like me."

Kurtis raised an eyebrow at Lara as Bryce crossed to one of the crates and lifted off the lid. It was filled with guns, ammunition, and gadgets that would have made James Bond jealous.

Kurtis whistled. "Nice."

When they had explored and admired the gear to their hearts' content, Lara turned to Bryce. "Got a project for you. Werner's notes and research are under the floorboards. I'd like you to digitise and archive them for me so we don't run the risk of losing it if the Cabal decides to send another assassin in after us."

"So we're sitting ducks here? I do like to live on the edge Lara, but should we consider moving location?"

Lara shook her head. "For now we're ok. The Cabal have no idea we're in Paris, and I've made sure Werner's solicitors put it about that I'm selling this place and want it off my books as quickly as possible. But eventually, yes, we'll need to move. I'm trusting you to establish security systems around the building that might let us know when it's about that time...can you manage?"

Bryce gave a disbelieving "hmph". "Can I manage? Can I manage? Don't insult me Lara, this is child's play. Give me a few hours and you'll have your secure archive and security system."

Evening was starting to turn to night, so Lara and Kurtis left Bryce to his work and made their way back to the Abbey to meet Laure.

Similar to that morning, they split up and made their way separately to avoid drawing attention. This time, Lara took the bike while Kurtis jumped on a bus, grumbling about hating public transport. Who'd have thought the aristocrat would be more comfortable with buses and trains than the American nomad? Lara smirked to herself as she navigated the Paris traffic.

After concealing the bike a few streets away, Lara made her away to the side entrance of the Abbey. She knocked lightly on the closed door, and it opened a crack to reveal Laure's eyes gazing back at her. "Lady Croft, come in, your friend is already here."

Kurtis and Lara followed Laure through to the Abbé's reception room. After inviting them to sit, she made hasty excuses and hurried out through another door. They sat in tense silence for a moment, before the door sprang open again. Laure entered, followed by a slim young man dressed in a monk's habit. He was pale, and short, with a head of curly dark hair and dark blue eyes that were almost grey. Those eyes were filled with apprehension as they darted from Lara to Kurtis and back.

"I promise, Brother Louis, they can be trusted." Laure said.

Lara and Kurtis were standing now, unsure how to greet the new man. Lara decided to make the first move. Striding across the room with her hand held out, she introduced herself and Kurtis. "Laure said she knew someone who might be able to help us in our...mission. Is that you?" she asked gently.

The monk looked unsure, but took Lara's outstretched hand and gave it a firm shake. That earned him brownie points in her book. She couldn't stand limp handshakes. It was usually a sign that the person was weak, or that they couldn't be trusted. Sometimes both.

"I believe I can help you, yes. I am Louis, Brother Louis Limoux. The Abbé is my grand uncle. If they are to try to use him to work against the cause, I know that he would want me to do everything in my power to prevent that."

Kurtis stepped forward. "So you know about the weapon the Abbé spoke of? The one that can destroy the Nephilim?"

Louis started to back up sharply as Kurtis advanced in his direction. He held up a shaking hand. "Please, Mr Trent, I'm not used to being around someone at your power level. It's all I can do to keep myself standing still right now. I'm afraid I can't come any closer until I get a handle on my own powers."

Kurtis stopped abruptly. "Your own powers? You're a psychic like your grand uncle?"

Louis nodded. Beside him, Laure spoke up: "He is an even more powerful psychic than the Abbé. However, his power is new and untested. We have sought to hide him from the world because he may be the last hope for the Order. I believe, Mr Trent, that in combination with your own powers, Louis can help lead you to the bones of the Nephilim before the Cabal force our Abbé to do the same. However, we must move quickly. "

So, Laure did know more than she had let on earlier.

"And the weapon?" asked Lara.

Louis answered "I have brought manuscripts that could lead us to the weapon, but these cannot be our priority. If the Cabal truly have the Abbé under their control, he will not be able to hold out for long. We have hours, at most, to retrieve the bones from the Catacombs."

"Sidenote: why didn't the Order do this long ago if they're so exposed?" Lara asked sardonically.

Laure gave her an unfriendly look. "Ms Croft, it is not for you to question the methods of the Order. What matters is that we stop the Cabal from raising Helle at all costs."

"Helle?" asked Lara.

This time it was Louis who filled in the blanks. "Helle was the name of the Nephilim who lived centuries ago, and was destroyed by the Order here in Paris. If she is revived by the Cabal, Karel will have his mate and they will rebreed the Nephilim race."

There was an ominous silence.

Kurtis sighed heavily. "I think we need a team meeting."

An hour later, Lara was gazing at the assortment of people piled into Werner's apartment and wondering what the old man would have made of this. Their allies on the police force were standing behind the kitchen island. Laure and Brother Louis sat in armchairs by the bookshelves. What little room was left in the living area was being taken up by Bryce's equipment. Werner's apartment had become a surveillance station, with multiple monitors and machines blinking and beeping softly at them. Bryce sat happily in the middle of it all, headset on, shifting nervously in his seat. He was always uncomfortable around the police - someone with his history of illegal hacking had good reason to be.

Kurtis stood up from where he had crouched over the weapons crate, slipping spare ammunition clips into dedicated holsters at his hips and thighs. He stood close to Lara and spoke low so only she would hear. "Quite the crew we've assembled here."

Neither of them particularly enjoyed working on a team. Hell, Lara had just gotten used to working with Kurtis and now she had a virtual Justice League at her disposal. His experience in the Foreign Legion seemed to make him nervous of being responsible for others.

She raised her eyes to meet his. "Maybe this is what we did wrong the first time around. Both of us went off on our solo runs, and we ended up with an incomplete job."

He smiled softly. "Fair point. Though I will miss having you to myself."

A warm feeling spread right to her toes and she smiled back, leaning into him slightly to knock him gently with her shoulder. His smile became a wide grin and Lara had to stifle a chuckle. She cleared her throat and forced her face into a businesslike expression.

Brother Louis had proved a mine of information. Giving the cliff notes version of his life, with promises to explain more later, he and Laure described the way the last academics of the Lux Veritatis had hidden amongst Benedictine monks, who helped keep them safe from the Cabal through the years. These monks had preserved their knowledge, but their population had dwindled to just the Abbé and his nephew. Fewer Lux Veritatis families knew of them, as it became harder and harder to know who to trust. Before long, Louis and his grand uncle became convinced they were the last who possessed such psychic powers. The discovery of Kurtis could change all that, Louis was convinced.

"The important thing for tonight is that you know we are the same, but different. I don't have the same psychic powers as you. We will have to work together, combine our power, to locate the bones and extract them. Once inside the catacombs, they will call to my power. I can guide you there, but I will be totally incapacitated while I do it. I'll need protection, and not just physical. There are things down there that can harm with more than just guns."

Kurtis seemed to understand this. He nodded. "I think we can work together, Louis. They didn't call me 'Demon Hunter' in the Legion for nothing."

The two Lux Veritatis having come to an agreement, all that was left was the work out the logistics of their mission.

Once everyone had had a chance to speak, a plan started to take shape. The police team would use their influence and contacts to get access to the Catacombs that night after it closed to tourists. Bryce would have everyone hooked up via headsets, and he and Tristan, an officer who turned out to have a penchant for technology, would help guide the others through the tunnels using Werner's maps. Laure and Louis brought their expertise to bear then, narrowing down the area the bones would be located. They would go in at the tourist entrance, which was one of only two options.

"Going down into those tunnels with only two routes in or out, and enemies everywhere, sounds like a recipe for disaster," said Lara. "But as we're left with no other choice, let's try to make the best of it."

It was decided that Bryce, Laure and Tristan would stay in the apartment, and be ready to pack up and leave at a moment's notice. Everyone was expecting a fight, and they set locations to regroup in the event of their base being compromised.

Only Lara, Kurtis, Louis and Sarah would enter the catacombs themselves. Pierre, Christophe and Emilie would cover the exits and have several vehicles ready for a quick getaway.

As everyone milled around arming themselves and hooking up to Bryce's comms system, Lara stood in her gear gazing at an object leaning against the winding metal staircase that led to the bedroom. A golden jackal's head on top of a wooden stick. Kurtis had noticed it when they first entered the apartment and wondered about it. Now he saw Lara gazing wistfully at it, lost in thought.

"What is it English people say...Penny for them?" he said, and was surprised when she turned to him with eyes full of emotion. She quickly composed herself, and the emotion was replaced by a neutral, determined expression in her brown eyes. She shook her head. "Just remembering the last time I saw Werner, with this cane. I have half a mind to have it affixed to his gravestone, it was so much a part of him in his later years."

She sighed, eyes dropping back to the cane. A moment later, she felt Kurtis' hand fall on her shoulder. When she didn't shrug him off, he moved in closer and embraced her. With a deeper sigh, she returned his embrace, allowing herself a moment to press her face to his chest and breath in the scent of his body. It was mildly intoxicating, even here in a room full of people. The thought snapped her out of it, and she stepped back a little abruptly.

"Sorry. It's been quite the week."

His eyes registered sympathy, but not pity. Good.

He nodded. His next words made her wonder whether they might have been made for each other:

"You need cheering up; let's go dig up an ancient tomb."

That brought an almost evil grin to Lara's face. In an old gesture that always brought her comfort, her hands went to the twin Browning hi-power handguns. She'd missed them. After what felt like a long time firing guns she pilfered from enemies, it was good to be back to the pistols she knew so well. Just grazing them made her feel better, more centred. Of course, she had expanded her arsenal beyond the two guns strapped to her thighs. She had a butterfly knife attached to a specialised holster on her belt, a smaller knife concealed in each boot, and her back up gun, a 9mm Beretta, in a shoulder holster for a cross body draw. Years of needing her hands free for climbing and trap disabling had taught her the importance of being a quick draw.

Kurtis had his Chirugai strapped to his belt, along with his Boran X which was in his shoulder holster. Lara had convinced him of the need for a backup gun, and selected a Vector-R35 from their box of goodies.

Brother Louis turned out to be very comfortable with a handgun, for a monk. Though he was descended from a more religious, academic line of the Lux Veritatis, they had at least had mandatory weapons and self defence training. He carried an M-V9 in a shoulder holster. Sarah Carvier seemed to be as passionate about artillery as her aunt had been about archaeology, and brought new meaning to the term "armed to the teeth", with a combination of her own gear and weapons borrowed from Lara's supply.

As she headed out the door, Bryce caught Lara's eye. He winked at her. "Time to save the world again is it?"

Lara smiled, turning to continue her stride out the door. "Absolutely."

After she was gone, Bryce's companions could have sworn they heard him mutter, under his breath and with sheer delight: "Blimey, she's back."


	15. Chapter 15

The streets around the entrance to the Paris catacombs were dead; deserted apart from a few people that could be seen in bars here and there. It was perfect for a discreet entrance. Detective Vey's contact met them outside and, no questions asked, unlocked the heavy metal doors for them. Lara pondered on the level of trust this guy must have with Vey as their group of four descended into the dark.

Kurtis took the lead, followed by Brother Louis, then Sarah, with Lara bringing up the rear. They moved in single file through the tunnel, passing a number of tourist information points and exhibitions on the geology of Paris before entering into the catacombs proper. Bones were stacked on either side of the path, from floor to ceiling. Every now and then the macabre display was punctuated by a plaque with something profound about death carved into it. It was quiet, and extremely cool, their way lit by the yellow glow of the dim lamps set about the tunnel.

"All ok down there, team?" Bryce's voice came through on their headsets. "So far so good," Lara replied. "Great, well, unless Louis says otherwise you want to follow the tunnel until you come to a circular bone display in the middle of a clearing."

They halted a short way into the tunnel to allow Louis to sense his way. The young monk had his eyes closed, and a slight frown on his face. His breathing started to speed up, and sweat broke out on his forehead, as he whispered urgently "Kurtis."

Sarah moved up to cover Kurtis, while Lara watched Louis, and the two Lux Veritatis were very still. Now would not be the right time for the Cabal to make an appearance, thought Lara.

Kurtis, meanwhile, was fighting a private battle for Brother Louis' safety. As soon as he heard his name called, he reached out with that part of him that allowed him to move objects with his mind. To Kurtis, it always seemed like an extra limb, a hand extending far beyond the reach of his physical body. It was always there, but now he chose to send it out to find whatever had attacked Louis. It didn't take long before he felt it brush something dark and disturbing. Instinctively, and as he'd done many times before, he closed his power around the demon, clenching tight and shoving as much light into it as he could muster. The relief was almost instant. Louis relaxed beside him as the demon was destroyed. Comparatively, that had been what one might call a baby demon. Apprehensive, and fully aware that bigger, badder things awaited them, Kurtis returned to his physical body and watched the monk expectantly.

Louis opened his eyes with a gasp. "I can feel them. Helle's remains. If I can hold my concentration I should be able to follow what I'm feeling now all the way to her tomb."

"I suppose that makes us surplus to requirement then," came Bryce's voice, making Louis jump a little. "Just keep us informed on any movement at the entrances, ok Bryce?" Lara replied as they moved on, getting deeper underground as the tunnel curved downward.

They reached the circular display of bones before long. Skulls formed the centre of the column, stacked on top of layers of what looked like arms and legs, and other things. Louis, almost in a trance, pointed them to the back of the column, where a section of tunnel was blocked off with a "no entry " sign. Pushing the sign to one side, they continued down the tunnel.

This section was unlit so Lara opted for her trusty LED light. It lit up the tunnel around her as Sarah's flare burst to life and Kurtis' Chirugai filled his section with that orange glow, hovering in the air in front of him.

A few twists and turns later, the tunnel becoming less and less well maintained as they went, and they were halted again by Louis. The monk was studying one skull in front of him very closely, his nose almost touching it. After a moment, he nodded and motioned to Kurtis to join him. Glancing at the two women, he explained "Kurtis and I must open this with our powers; it will not recognise either of you. You'll have to keep a safe distance."

Reluctantly, Lara and Sarah took several paces back. Lara started to feel a tingling up and down her arms, and wondered how such a chilling breeze could reach her this far underground. The feeling grew more and more intense until it was all she could do to stop herself from rubbing at her arms. This had to be more than a breeze. "Bryce" she whispered into her headset. "Are we clear on intruders?"

"The heat sensors you're wearing are showing me nothing within a 200m radius of any of you. No sign of anyone at the entryways and I've checked in with Team 2 and 3 and got the all clear from them just this second. What are the two lads up to anyway? They've been standing there for bloody ages."

"I don't know, but I'm starting to feel a bit…off. Keep a close eye, Bryce."

"Always."

Lara glanced at Sarah. "Can you feel that? Like an ice cold breeze."

The other woman looked puzzled. "No, I can't feel anything. It's chilly down here, but no breeze."

Lara's thoughts were interrupted by a light click in front of them. She and Sarah watched in awe as the wall of bones in front of the two men melted away, revealing a dark tunnel descending even deeper underground. The icy tingling Lara had been feeling instantly dissipated, and became a slight buzz that was easier to ignore. She filed it away as unimportant and turned her attention to what had been revealed behind all those bones. The tunnel walls were dark earth, rather than bones. Lara wondered if all the bones since they left the main part of the catacombs had been an illusion.

Louis and Kurtis gestured for them to follow, and they continued. Lara's heart was pounding, which usually meant something bad was about to happen. Running over all the traps and pitfalls she had come across in previous Lux Veritatis tombs, she could only hope this next part wasn't going to involve a bubbling pit of lava.

The tunnel started to widen out, but the darkness around them seemed to deepen. They could only see as far ahead of them as the Chirugai, which seemed almost in danger of being swallowed by blackness.

Louis' voice cut into the dark: "We have some company up ahead. Can you feel them, Kurtis?"

Kurtis halted them. "Yeah, I can feel them, but what are they?"

Lara already knew, so she had time to prepare herself before the Chirugai's orange light fell on the first undead knight. Its face was mostly covered by a helmet, but the eyes were visible through slits. They held a light blue glow, but they were very clearly not living eyes.

In front of Lara, Sarah barely suppressed a gasp, and drew her gun. Lara's pistols had been in her hands ever since Louis' comment. Close quarters fighting with the undead, great.

But Kurtis didn't send the Chirugai to attack, and Louis didn't seem afraid. In fact, he answered Kurtis' question in a totally calm voice, as if they were all out for drinks and he was introducing his friend who they had just happened to run into.

"Kurtis, this is the first of a number of Lux Veritatis guardians. They were buried with the bones, and here they have waited until they might be called on to defend them once more. This enchantment is written about, but I never believed in it until now. These truly are the reanimated warriors of old," he said in awe.

"If we get out of here alive, Louis, I have a lot of questions about this," Kurtis replied. He approached the undead knight slowly. The knight didn't move, but stared determinedly at Kurtis. "So…he won't attack us?"

"He recognises us as his brothers. Lara and Sarah, however…"

"Oh cheers, Louis, so he's going to try to take chunks out of us as soon as you two pass by?" exclaimed Sarah with incredulity. Her outburst brought a sinister growl from the knight, and she raised her gun to point at him. "Right, Dawn of the Dead, one false move and you'll be in more pieces than the bones out there in the tunnel!" Her voice only trembled slightly, to her credit.

"Sarah, you're upsetting the nice zombie," Lara said quietly from behind her. "Seriously, lower the gun, it won't do much good. I've fought these things before. They're not the quickest, or the deadliest, but they do keep coming. Let's just keep our voices nice and calm though, we are in a bit of a tight spot here, and we wouldn't want our friend getting the wrong idea about why we're down here, would we?"

Sarah lowered the gun slowly. "Thank you," Lara said, keeping her tone even and calm. "Now, Louis, care to explain how we're going to get past your great great great grandfather over there?"

Slightly irritated at Sarah's outburst, Louis continued: "If the officer would have let me finish, I would have told her that I'm extending my aura to cover both of you. You will hit his radar as fellow members of the Order. However, displays like that can make my concentration slip. We need to remain very calm, and present a united front. He's going to lead us to the remains of Helle."

Kurtis stepped back from the knight, a look of distaste on his face. "Just when I thought this couldn't get any weirder. Ok, lead on," he said to the knight, who nodded and turned abruptly, marching down the tunnel away from them.

"He must have killer night vision," Lara noted to Sarah, who chuckled softly.

A flickering in the distance alerted them to the lit section of tunnel before they reached it, and they soon found themselves surrounded by torches glowing with the same blue light that seemed to fill the knight's eyes. The tunnel spread out into a circular chamber, lit by the same torches. Their new comrade marched into the chamber, and returned to a post he had clearly vacated to the right of the entrance. Other knights manned similar posts all around the room.

As she crossed the threshold of the room, Lara's eyes fell straight to the prize in the centre of the room. Lying on a stone altar was an ornate wooden box, about the size of a large hardback book, with golden metal hinges. From across the room Lara could see the box was covered in engravings. and three more knights stood guard around the altar.

She didn't have time to notice any more about the scene because the ice cold wind she had felt earlier was suddenly back, this time travelling all the way up her back from the base of her spine to the nape of her neck, and she couldn't help but writhe a little, letting out a small gasp. Kurtis turned to her in surprise. "Are you alright?"

"Can't you feel that?" Lara asked him desperately. He shook his head, frowning. "What do you feel?"

Lara's teeth had started to chatter. "Cold…so so cold…ugh!" she exclaimed in frustration, holstering her guns and giving in to the impulse to rub her arms. She had gone in dressed in thick black leggings, a long sleeved thermal black top and a Kevlar vest. She shouldn't have been this cold. Her eyes were drawn back to the altar, and she had the strangest sense of déjà vu. Something tugged at the back of her mind. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt she hadn't been here before, so why did it suddenly feel so familiar to her?

She blinked, and a flash of a pale face with dark hair and darker eyes appeared in front of the altar, wearing an anguished look. Blinking faster to try to dispel the image, the cold feeling started to intensify. Lara shut her eyes tight and shook her head, and the feeling faded. She stood straight and opened her eyes, suppressing a yell at what she saw.

Kurtis was gone. Sarah was gone. Louis was gone. The undead knights were no longer undead.

And the box…where the box had sat, the dark haired woman she had seen lay screaming in agony.


	16. Chapter 16

"Please…I've lost my love, and my child, I'm no threat anymore, I swear it…" pleaded the woman on the altar, seemingly oblivious to Lara's presence.

The three knights surrounding her said nothing. They simply continued their chant. Each held something that was emitting a slight glow, which seemed to grow with each verse of the knights' prayer.

A figure in a monk's habit advanced to the head of the altar, looking down on the struggling woman who seemed to be restrained by nothing. The monk had his hand stretched out towards her, and seemed to be exerting force to keep her in a horizontal position.

As the light from the knights built and built, the woman grew quiet. She stared at the monk.

"Am I to be dispatched without so much as a reply to my plea, Brother?" she asked calmly.

The monk's peaceful expression didn't change as he said "Helle. We are aware of your change of heart. It is unfortunate and tragic that your lover and your child have been lost, but these are violent times, and now that the King is overthrown we cannot leave anything to chance. Where such a vacuum of power exists, something terrible may rise to fill it."

"I do not desire power anymore. I desire only to put right the wrongs I have done." she said simply.

There was no hesitation in the Lux Veritatis monk, no pity. "You cannot take back what you have done, nor can you deny that your very existence threatens mankind. For your crimes, and for the safety of the world, you must be destroyed. Farewell, Helle,"

She made no sound as the white light from the knights' artifacts, channeled through the monk's outstretched hand, engulfed her. The light almost blinded Lara as it grew and grew, until she could feel its prickling heat begin to engulf her too.

She screamed until her throat was hoarse.

* * *

"Lara! Wake up, dammit!" she was brought back by the sharp feeling of Sarah's hand as she smacked her across the face.

She became gradually aware of her surroundings, and of the fact she was sitting with her back against something warm. Arms circled her and held her tight, and she realised it was Kurtis who sat behind her, cradling her to his body, sharing warmth with her as her shivering dissipated gradually. Sarah knelt in front of them, hand going back for another strike.

"Sarah, bloody hell, I'm awake, stop." she said, and her voice came out weak and croaking.

Sarah dropped her hand. "God, Lara, what the hell happened?!" she exclaimed. Behind her, she could feel Kurtis' chest vibrate as he replied quietly: "She had a vision."

Lara shifted in his arms so she could crane her neck back to see him. His face was carefully blank as he looked down at her. "How did you know?"

"You went ice cold and passed out, but your eyes were still open. We could see your emotions as you watched whatever it was you saw. I saw it happen to members of the Order a few times, but I've never heard of it happening to someone outside the Order." The implication was clear: there were some skeletons in Lara's closet that even she hadn't been aware of.

Lara shook her head as much as she was able to with it pressed against Kurtis. "If I had some Lux Veritatis heritage I wasn't aware of, why did all the knights in the Tomb of Ancients try to kill me?"

At the mention of the knights, she looked around for their undead friends. They were still at their posts, unmoving. Louis was standing near the altar, examining the box intently.

Strangely calm, the monk turned his head to look at Lara. "You saw the ritual," he said. He stated it as a fact that he was sure of. Lara frowned. "Did you see it too?" she asked. Louis shook his head, stepping away from the box and back towards the other three.

"I've been reading the engravings on the box, and I think these enchantments are likely to have preserved the memory of what happened here. Why it has affected you, and not the rest of us, is a mystery we will have to investigate at a later date. For now, don't come any closer to the box - it may trigger further visions."

Lara gritted her teeth in frustration. She had never broken into a tomb, come so close to her goal, only to step back and let someone else claim it. It was an illogical compulsion in this situation, but it irritated her to not step closer to the altar and reach out for that box. After a moment, she nodded. Still wrapped around her, Kurtis spoke up: "Are you feeling warmer?" He punctuated his words with a gentle squeeze that left Lara in no doubt that she was very warm indeed.

Grinning up at him, she nodded. "No more chills. Thanks." He smiled back down at her and then began to gently, almost reluctantly, untangle their limbs. They both stood.

Louis addressed Kurtis: "I think it should be you that takes the box, Kurtis. I'm afraid I wouldn't make as good a protector if we met with enemies, whether physical or metaphysical."

Kurtis nodded, and started towards the altar, just as Bryce's frantic voice broke over their headsets. "Army of Cabal lackeys, Gunderson, Rouzic and the Abbé are advancing on Team 2's location right now. You'd best grab the box and make for Team 3, they'll reach your position in about 4 minutes if the Abbé is as good as Louis."

Louis paled. "My grand uncle taught me everything I know. If he is truly under their control, we haven't got a moment to lose. Take the box!"

The monk turned to their undead friends. "Knights of the Lux Veritatis, you must protect the box once more. Go, hold off our enemies, we take the box to destroy Helle's remains once and for all."

In unison, the three knights around the altar and the four who stood guard around the room nodded, raised their swords, and marched back up the tunnel in single file. Kurtis grabbed the box, storing it in his backpack. "Let's get out of here."

They followed the knights up the tunnel, turning in the opposite direction once they hit the place where the bones began again. "Bryce, enemy report?"

Her friend's voice came low as he replied "They've taken out Team 2. They're advancing fast. Pick up the pace, lads."

There was no time to mourn their fallen allies. Bryce directed them through their headsets as they made for the exit at a full sprint.

"Bugger!" came Bryce's frantic voice.

"Wha-" Lara started to say, but as they came around a corner it became clear what he had seen. Their way was blocked by a gang of Cabal mercenaries in riot gear. "Gunderson must have had them splinter off after they entered to cut you off," Bryce supplied. "Thanks, Bryce, helpful," Lara replied, starting to back up slowly. There was dead silence. Why weren't they shooting? Lara's back bumped into something solid a moment later. Huge hands grabbed her by the shoulders and slammed her into the assortment of bones that framed the tunnel, hard enough to send dust cascading down to the dirt floor.

Cursing herself for not watching her back, she looked up into Marten Gunderson's furious gaze. Glancing at the mercenaries facing her friends, he yelled: "Rouzic says no guns! He wants them alive." Lara frowned at this, but had no time to dwell on it as his attention returned to her. "Lady Croft" he growled.

Lara smiled sweetly. "We must stop meeting like this," she replied, before headbutting him squarely on the nose. She heard a satisfying crack and knew she had broken it. His hold on her faltered, but he didn't drop her. To her right, Lara could hear the sounds of fighting and knew her friends were engaging the other goons Gunderson had brought. She had to deal with the big fish. Just how she liked it.

Using Gunderson's moment of distraction, Lara twisted her shoulders sharply and dropped out of his grip to land on her feet. Without a moment's hesitation, she grabbed the large man's shoulder in a two-handed grip and drove her knee into his groin. Still, he didn't crumble, cursing her and grabbing her plait to forcefully pull her away from his body. In an instant she saw his fist swinging for her, and had just enough time to block before it connected with her face. Her wrist stung with the effort of deflecting his blow, but she recovered quickly and dropped into her fighting stance - hands up, knees slightly bent. With Gunderson's reach, she needed to stay in as close to him as she could get or risk taking bigger damage. Again she stepped into his body, driving an elbow up to his face. This time he parried, and they continued trading blows for what seemed like forever, Lara's hits seeming to have barely fazed him. _Must have a serious pain threshold,_ she thought bitterly.

Up ahead, Kurtis was dealing with three mercenaries at once. Four, if you counted the one he was dispatching with his Chirugai a few feet away. Luckily these men were fresh from training, and no match for his level of experience. Brother Louis was just about holding his own, standing back to back with Sarah as they held off two more. He tried to keep his mind off Lara's battle with Gunderson. It was taking all his mental and physical concentration to deal with his own fight, and if he allowed his mind to slip to her he knew it would distract him. She could handle herself, as she'd demonstrated plenty of times before. But he knew Gunderson, and the man was not your typical mercenary.

His adversaries seemed to be tiring, hands dropping and defences opening up. _Perfect_ , he thought, and moved in to finish them off. One was knocked unconscious with a vicious fist to the temple, while the other tumbled to the ground as Kurtis side stepped his kick, grabbing the leg offered and unbalancing him. Once on the ground, a hard kick to the face finished him off. His Chirugai returned, blades bloody, and took the final man by surprise as it whizzed past behind him, practically decapitating him. A glance ahead told him Louis and Sarah had managed to take their enemies out too. Kurtis' eyes widened as he took in the yellowing skull in Louis' hands. Evidently he'd employed it as a weapon. Impressive, and grotesque, all at once. _Points for Brother Louis._

Lara, where was Lara? There was no sign of her or Gunderson.

"Lara? Lara, come in," Kurtis spoke urgently into his headset. Only Bryce's voice came in answer "I lost her a few minutes ago, mate. Where is she?"

They didn't need to wait long for an answer, as a sneering voice came over the airwaves. "This is Luther Rouzic. Lady Croft is with me. Return the bones of Helle to her tomb and your lover can go free. You have three minutes before Gunderson finishes her."

* * *

Lara came to with aches and pains all over, and when the memory of the fight came back to her, her ego started to smart even more painfully than the rest of her. Gunderson had bested her, possibly due to sheer physical strength, but honestly, she had spotted Kurtis in the corner of her eye fighting not one, not two, but three mercenaries, and her concentration had slipped for a moment. That was all it took. Now she had gotten herself kidnapped. Shame washed over her. It was one thing getting taken captive as a lone wolf, but now she had let the whole team down. _If I get out of here alive, I'm never working with other people again_ , she thought bitterly, resenting the emotions that were threatening to overwhelm her.

Thoughts turning to more practical issues, she opened her eyes and looked at her surroundings. She was back in Helle's tomb, with its altar and undead knights. The knights were back at their posts, and there was an elderly man standing at the altar, staring blankly ahead. The Abbé. At least he was physically unhurt. He had to be the reason their undead friends had returned to docile sentries. _Might be time for the Lux Veritatis to update their enchantments_ , Lara thought.

A voice to her left drew her attention away from the zombie knights. "Lady Croft, congratulations, I don't think I've met anyone who has managed to actually draw blood from Gunderson before." Luther Rouzic emerged from the entrance to the tomb with a sick smile on his face. Up close, his inhuman features were even more striking. Lara couldn't stop her face from screwing up into a look of disgust as he approached. The outline of his skull was clearly visible, like he didn't had enough skin to cover all of his body, leaving it stretched tight. His long, dark grey hair was tied in a low ponytail that fell down his back. He wore a white shirt, beige slacks, impeccably polished brown loafers, and a strange blue necklace that seemed out of place with the modern clothes. Its pendant, about the size and shape of an eyeball, glowed with a blue light the colour of cobalt. Lara took a deep breath to steady herself as it became clear that this wasn't just an eye-shaped pendant. It was a human eye. An eye that looked horribly familiar. If she hadn't just verified moments before that he had both eyes intact, she would have said it was Kurtis'. That left one horrifying possibility.

"Admiring my trinket, Lady Croft? It's a pleasant little thing. A souvenir if you will. Still holds some power, comes in quite useful on occasion."

Lara pulled herself into a seated position with some effort, fighting to keep the pain from her face. Her head, ribs, and face were all screaming in protest but she kept a straight face as she met Rouzic's stare. "You are grotesque."

Her hands were bound behind her back, and she subtly tried the bonds. Clearly the work of Gunderson, she could feel the plastic handcuffs were closed tight. In fact, Gunderson had probably closed them a little too tight to make her suffer. Maybe he cared more than he had let on about his broken nose. Lara certainly hoped so.

Feeling a trickle of blood make its way sickeningly slowly down her temple, she pushed aside her pain as she had so many times before when she was in danger. Plastic handcuffs she could deal with. The question was, what to do once she was out of them?

Rouzic was still staring at her. He seemed to be frowning in frustration, and the penny finally dropped for Lara. _He thinks he can control my mind like he did with the Abbé, but it's not working._ She could use this to her advantage, she decided. She gave her best blank stare back to him, emptying her face of all thought and personality, hoping it would be enough to fool him. He looked satisfied; evidently he was arrogant enough for it to work.

"Excellent, Lady Croft, excellent. Now, we just have a small item of business we need to attend to before getting out of this tomb. I have contacted your lover, the telepathic warrior you've been keeping company with. In exchange for your life, he will bring us Helle's remains. Once he hands them over, you will shoot him dead. Yes?"

Lara's blood ran cold and she thanked her lucky stars for whatever it was in her that meant she was impervious to his mind control. Outwardly, she just nodded.

Gunderson strode into the room, clutching a handkerchief to his bloody nose. Lara had to work hard not to grin at him. He took in her blank stare and gave an evil grin of his own. "She's under?"

Rouzic nodded, looking very pleased with himself. While they were conversing, Lara scoped out the room. Apart from Rouzic and Gunderson, only two mercenaries remained in the tomb. The rest must be out hunting for her friends, she thought with discomfort. Best make this escape plan a quick one.

First though, a long shot. Keeping her blank stare ahead, she tried to shout her thoughts as loud as she possibly could: "KURTIS! CAN YOU HEAR ME?"

An answer came back, and it sounded like he was very far away. "Just about, where are you?"

She had to suppress a sigh of relief. This was as good as any headset. "I'm in the tomb. They have me tied up and Rouzic thinks I'm under his mind control. He wants me to shoot you after you give him the box. We need a plan."

She outlined what was forming in her mind, and Kurtis' answer came back louder this time, closer: "Perfect."

* * *

When he entered the room, hands on his head, walking slowly, Lara had been freed from her handcuffs by Gunderson. He had taken some ungentlemanly liberties with her while she was in her "trance" that she had mentally filed away for later payback. She now stood behind Gunderson and Rouzic, with the entranced Abbé behind her. Two mercenaries advanced towards Kurtis to check he was unarmed, as promised. Satisfied, they stepped back. Kurtis was giving concerned, desperate eyes to Lara. _Part of the act,_ she told herself, _just part of the act._ She tried not to imagine what might have happened if Rouzic had managed to get her under control for real.

Her partner turned to Rouzic with an angry glare. "What have you done to her? How do I know she's ok?"

Rouzic smiled. "Lara, my dear, tell our friend here that you're alright." He smirked. Lara stepped forward, blank stare still in place.

When she was level with Rouzic, she drew her gun. "I'm just tickety-boo," she said as she put a bullet into Luther Rouzic's brain.

Kurtis summoned his Chirugai from the tunnel as Lara turned and fired off a shot at Gunderson, but the mercenary was quick. He dove behind the altar, drawing his own gun and returning fire as Lara and Kurtis ran for cover. The mercenaries who had frisked Kurtis were tied up fighting the suddenly active undead knights. As they ducked behind a stone pillar, Lara turned to Kurtis. "Did you command them?" she asked as she handed him one of her guns. Kurtis shook his head. "No idea what woke them up."

Lara edged out and fired a shot at Gunderson, and saw the source of the knights' commands. "The Abbé!"

He was being protected by one of their zombie friends, who was shielding him with his body. Evidently, shooting Rouzic had given the Abbé back his own mind, and now he was using that to his advantage. He looked around his bodyguard and caught Lara's eye. He nodded, then held his hand out in Gunderson's direction. The big man froze halfway towards firing off a shot at Lara. She glanced back at the old man, who nodded again, as if to say "he's all yours". Kurtis stepped out with Lara from behind the pillar, and they approached Gunderson together.

In a strained voice, the Abbé warned them "You must hurry, he's quite wilful and I won't be able to hold him there much longer!"

Picking up a large piece of stone debris, Lara brought it down with enough force to knock the big man out. He lay sprawled on the ground a moment later. The other undead knights had returned to their posts, having made quick work of Gunderson's surprisingly amateur mercenaries. Right on cue, Sarah and Louis sprinted into the tunnel.

Louis approached his grand uncle in quick strides and threw his arms around the old man.

Sarah, loading a new clip into her gun, broke in: "Sorry to interrupt the family reunion, but there are still soldiers out there. We've given them the run around and tried to pick a few of them off, but I think our best bet is to get out of here and meet up with Team 3."

Lara bent and reclaimed her headset from Gunderson. "Bryce?"

"Lara! Thank Christ."

"Don't thank him just yet. Bryce, get us out of here."

Reluctantly, they were forced to leave Gunderson behind and make a hasty exit. Lara did get in a swift kick to his most sensitive areas before they left, however, so he was bound to wake up in pain and possibly having lost the ability to father children. Payback was sweet.

They made their way out of the catacombs at a sprint, barely slowing down on the steep and seemingly endless steps back up to street level. "Team 3" was just Detective Vey, who had a large people carrier waiting which they hopped straight into. Without a word, Vey peeled away from the curb, filling the deceptively quiet night with tyre screeches.


	17. Chapter 17

The people carrier sped down the motorway towards Charles de Gaulle airport, followed closely by another French family vehicle, carrying Bryce, Laure, Tristan and their equipment. A phone call to an old friend had given Lara exclusive use of a private jet to take them back to England, and Croft Manor.

Lara and Kurtis sat in the very back of the car, Kurtis' attention having gone straight to Lara's wounds as soon as they were out of danger. He assessed her for concussion, and luckily she seemed to have escaped a serious head injury. She was bruised all over, and had a nasty cut on her forehead that was still bleeding sluggishly. Her ribs felt pained, but not to the point of a broken bone. She suspected a strain, and winced as Kurtis' hands gently applied pressure around her abdomen and found a fresh bruise. Extracting a portable ice pack from Detective Vey's extensive first aid supplies, he broke the plastic packet to activate it and held it to Lara's stomach as she lay her head back. Her forehead was steri stripped and bandaged, and the rest of her would have to heal with time.

There was a deep silence in the van, everyones' thoughts dwelling on Christophe and Emilie, who had been gunned down by Gunderson and his soldiers. Sarah and Pierre hadn't said much after making phone calls to arrange for the bodies to be recovered and families to be notified. Lara closed her eyes and sighed. She had seen a lot of death and destruction, but it never got easier seeing good people lose their lives.

She felt the feather-light brush of lips against the uninjured side of her forehead, and opened her eyes a crack to see Kurtis leaning over her. His eyes said what couldn't be spoken aloud: _I'm so glad it wasn't you_. She smiled up at him, and tilted her head to gently kiss his lips. Guilt lurked in the background, but relief flooded her. As callous as it might be, it was Bryce and Kurtis that she truly cared about, and they were ok. For that, she was immensely grateful.

They were received by airport staff who couldn't do enough for them. Lara was silently thankful for friends in high places. It wasn't the first time a key contact had saved her skin. Once the plane took off, the entire group was out for the count, sleeping off the fight. When they landed in London less than two hours later, they barely spoke as they made their way down from the plane and into the waiting cars Winston had arranged for.

Seated between Kurtis and Bryce, Lara prepared herself for Kurtis' reaction on seeing her house. He knew her back story, so he'd be expecting something big, but she always felt a little uncomfortable revealing the true extent of her wealth to new people.

It was edging towards dawn when Croft Manor came into view, looming behind the gates like some great dark shadow. Strategically placed lights in the garden meant the house was somewhat lit, and Kurtis gave a low appreciative whistle as they stepped out of the car. When he turned to her his face showed nothing but admiration. She relaxed a little.

"Impressed?" she asked with a slight grin. He smiled back. "I just can't wait to see where you keep all the toys." She raised one eyebrow and lowered her voice so only he could hear. "What makes you think you get to play with my toys?" she asked. He chuckled.

Winston and Hillary welcomed them and helped transfer their bags from the cars to the Manor, taking over hosting duties as per usual. Lara made sure to give them each an appreciative squeeze on her way in. Her butlers had everyone assigned to a bedroom, had offered food and drink and made all her guests comfortable in no time. Lara, meanwhile, dragged herself up the staircase towards her own bedroom, followed wordlessly by Kurtis.

Once inside her bedroom, she headed for the ensuite bathroom, saying over her shoulder to Kurtis: "You know, we have 83 rooms. If you'd prefer your own space there's plenty of it."

He stood leaning against the doorjamb between her bathroom and the bedroom as she washed her face. He studied her silently for a moment. "Would you prefer if I took one of the guest bedrooms?" he asked carefully.

She met his gaze in the mirror. "No. But I had to offer...just in case."

He smiled. "Only one problem, do you think you're safe to sleep in the same room as this box?"

She remembered the effect Helle's remains had had on her with unease. "I hadn't thought about that. It's not affecting me now, but might be best if we put it in my safe. On the off chance any uninvited guests get past my security."

Once they had both cleaned up and changed into fresh clothes, Kurtis followed her downstairs to the hidden room where she kept artifacts she had recovered and deemed too dangerous to be donated to any museum. By now the mansion was quiet, everyone having gone to bed. Heading into the control room where all of her security feeds could be viewed, and where Bryce was usually to be found when he was living in the Manor, Lara went to a keypad at the back of the room and typed in the code. A laser beam shot out and scanned her retinas. A pleasant bell sound emitted from it as it recognised her, and she turned and walked back into the main hall, followed by a curious Kurtis carrying the box. Turning right, Lara headed for a dark corner at the back of the hall and behind the stairs, where a smallish bookshelf held some of her father's books.

Reaching up, she took hold of Herodotus' _The Histories,_ pulling it out until she heard a click. The bookshelf hinge released, and she used the corner to pull it away from the wall, revealing a door beyond. A final retina scan and they were through to the Croft Manor trophy room. Here she kept artifacts she wouldn't trust anyone else to keep safe, including the dagger of Xian and the Infada stones. It was a temporary solution to a growing problem she seemed to have with turning up ancient items with the power to destroy the world.

She was halfway across the room when she realised Kurtis wasn't following her. She turned around to find him standing at the entrance to the room, mouth open, gazing around him. He turned back to her, not bothering to hide his stunned expression. Since she had given him the cliff notes version of her life, he had an idea about the power of the objects in the room. "Quite the collection" he remarked. She winked at him. "Some people collect stamps...for me it's anything with the potential to cause armageddon." With a quiet laugh, he joined her at the safe on the other side of the room, which she revealed behind a painting of her parents. They deposited the box inside, confident it would be secure until morning. As they left the room, Kurtis made Lara promise they'd return for a proper look once they had rested.

Back in Lara's room, Kurtis didn't even have the energy to tease Lara as they climbed into bed together. Lying close together but not touching, they both fell into a much needed sleep quickly.

* * *

It felt so good to be home, Lara thought as she came to the end of a long morning jog around the grounds. Waking up after a peaceful night's sleep next to Kurtis, she had felt more energised than she had in a long time. It was a bright, crisp, winter morning, perfect for a run. As she ran, she had time to mull over their situation and consider their options. Her head was clear and focused, her system pumped full of endorphins.

Noticing her heart rate starting to dip a little, Lara picked up her pace and sprinted the last three hundred metres back to the manor, relishing the feeling of pushing herself to the limit just for fun.

Once inside the manor, she made straight for her gym, pausing inside the door to switch on the stereo system. Her pulse started to calm down again as she wrapped her hands, before approaching the punching bag.

She started slowly, dancing around the bag as she settled into a rhythm, then picked up the speed and depth of her strikes. Driving her fists into the bag, she knew there was no better therapy than the ache in her limbs and the sweat on her brow.

* * *

A sliver of light danced across Kurtis' face, waking him from a deep and dreamless sleep to find the other side of Lara's bed empty. He rose, throwing on a t shirt and combats and making his way downstairs. It didn't take him long to find her - the unmistakeable riff of Jimi Hendrix's version of _All Along The Watchtower_ floated out from a room to the right as he reached the bottom of the stairs. He stepped through to find himself in Lara's personal training complex. Passing a series of vaulting blocks and climbing frames, machines and weight racks, he smiled as the music grew louder and Lara finally came into view in a separate room, clearly intended for sparring. She was circling a punching bag, her wrapped fists pounding it in a practiced sequence before she withdrew, bouncing on the balls of her feet before delivering another attack. He admired the view as he closed in on her, mesmerised momentarily by the beauty of her strength and concentration.

Kurtis entered her line of sight and Lara stopped what she was doing as the track changed from Jimi Hendrix to Jay Z's _99 Problems._ Kurtis frowned. "I was going to compliment you on your music taste but now I don't even know what to say," he said, approaching her. Lara started to circle the bag, maintaining some distance between them, a playful look on her face. "My house, my soundtrack. Nothing wrong with an eclectic taste in music, anyway," she threw back.

Kurtis laughed softly, following her, a predatory look on his face. Lara's hands were still raised as she moved gracefully around the bag, mirroring him, knees soft.

"How about this? Winner picks the music for the rest of the day."

It was her turn to laugh. "Done. And since you're such a fan, when I win I'll be sure to line up some non-stop Jay Z from now 'til bedtime."

"We'll see about that."

They had edged away from the bag and now moved around each other, concentrating hard, on the padded floor beyond. It was on.

Missy Elliot's _Work It_ was the next song queued, and Lara couldn't have picked better if she had been trying to mess with Kurtis' concentration. Adding "hates rap music" to her mental file on him, she watched him for any sudden tension that might indicate his first attack. They circled for long moments, neither wanting to be the first to lunge. His eyes teased her, but it was the wink that drove her over the edge. She could stand it no longer, and she lashed out with a quick jab. He blocked, swinging a hook in return which she dodged. They toyed with each other like this for some time, trading blows and blocking and dodging around each others' fists, before Kurtis threw a leg out to try to sweep her feet from under her. Lara threw herself easily into a graceful backwards cartwheel, Kurtis leaning back out of the way of her feet just in time.

She stood several feet away now, a taunting grin growing on her face as the opening bars of Missy's _Get Your Freak On_ came through the surround sound system. It was just the cherry on top to see Kurtis wince, clearly still unimpressed with the direction her playlist was going. They slowly circled from their new positions, getting gradually closer, and then they began to trade blows at an increasingly faster pace, until Lara was almost unsure whose limb was whose.

They were both breathing hard, and Lara could feel sweat forming on her brow. It had been a long time since she'd had a good sparring partner, and she hadn't realised how much she missed it. Even laying the sexual tension between them aside, this was the most enjoyable workout she had had in years. She started to consider something that was completely out of character for her: _Should I let him take me to the floor?_ In terms of self defence, it was a terrible idea. In terms of what her body wanted right now, it sounded pretty good. The tension between them was thick enough to choke on: if she didn't do something about it, she felt like she might just spontaneously combust.

She had two choices: overpower him herself, or give in to one of his attacks so they ended up on the ground. She gave an evil grin as it occurred to her she could execute a combination of both.

The next time she saw his leg sweep out for her feet, she allowed him to trip her. Surprise registered on his face for a moment - he hadn't expected it to work. His momentary distraction gave her the perfect opportunity to grab him on her way down, rolling over as soon as they hit the ground so that she straddled him. She gazed down at him, and for a moment they paused. Blur's _Song 2_ was next up on the playlist, and Kurtis grinned. "Now this is more like it," he said, before he bucked his hips upwards, unbalancing Lara and starting a fierce continuation of their fight on the ground. They rolled over and over, struggling for dominance, all limbs involved in the struggle.

Lara didn't know who started it, but at some point as they rolled on the ground, they started laughing. The fight continued, somewhat softened as they were both overtaken by helpless giggling. Before long they had to pause, Kurtis on top of Lara, both laughing helplessly. Their eyes met, and Kurtis closed the distance between them, kissing Lara even as they each kept having to pause to laugh. As the kiss deepened, the laughing stopped, and would have escalated further if they hadn't heard footsteps in the outer room of the gym.

Kurtis lifted himself off Lara, offering her a hand up. They watched the three police officers enter the gym. "Call it a draw?" he offered with a grin. Lara rolled her eyes at him. "Deal."

They made their way out into the main section of the gym, where Sarah, Pierre and Tristan were looking appreciatively at her set up. Sarah was the first to speak up on seeing Lara and Kurtis. "This place is incredible! It's like fitness heaven."

Lara smiled. "Make yourselves at home, and be sure to use the stereo system and play whatever motivates you. There's a good selection of music loaded onto it," she added with a smirk at Kurtis. "Oh, and the pool suite is through there," she added, gesturing to the left. "Winston and Hillary should be able to get you sorted if you want swim suits."

The three officers looked like kids in a sweet shop. Lara smiled, happy she could help take their minds off last night's events. She and Kurtis left the gym as their new friends began their workout.

"Fancy some food? I'm famished," she said to Kurtis as they crossed the hall in the direction of the kitchen. Hillary emerged, a tray in hand with two bottles of water on it. The junior butler was taking over most of the more taxing work from Winston, as her old friend was well past retirement age. He had more of an overseeing role these days, while Hillary learned the ropes from him.

Lara took the bottles of water, handing one to Kurtis. "Thank you, Hillary. How are our other guests doing?"

Hillary fell into step with them. "Everyone's up and about, in fact the abbot and his grand nephew are having breakfast in the kitchen at the moment. I prepared some eggs for them - would you like the same? Perhaps some coffee?"

Lara looked a question at Kurtis. He smiled at the butler. "Sounds good to me, I'm starving."

"Thanks Hillary." The butler smiled and made his way ahead of them into the kitchen.

They found Louis and the Abbé sitting together at the large dining table in the kitchen, deep in conversation as Hillary took their empty plates away. They looked up and both stood as Lara and Kurtis entered.

"Sleep alright?" she asked brightly. The older man stepped across to where Lara was and took her hand. Fixing her with a sincere look, he said: "Lady Croft, I can not thank you enough for saving my life, and now for your hospitality. I don't know how we can ever repay you."

Lara squeezed his hand before gently letting go, stepping away from him towards a cupboard across the room. "It was nothing, really," she said as she went, feeling a little awkward. She still felt guilty for allowing him to be kidnapped in the first place. She was hardly owed thanks.

Pulling out a blender and a packet of protein powder, she grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl and some milk from the fridge to prepare her usual post workout shake. "Can I interest you in a shake?" she asked Kurtis. He crinkled his nose at her. "What, never seen a banana before?" she teased.

"I suppose there's a first time for everything. Closest I've come to this kind of thing was the protein pastes they gave us in the Legion, and those were not a good experience...just promise me it's not going to taste like ass?"

Lara laughed. "You really have no filter do you?" She finished making the drinks and they joined Louis and the Abbé at the kitchen table, Kurtis sipping appreciatively at the chocolate-banana concoction.

Once Hillary had arrived with two plates of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast, their attention was completely on re-fuelling. As they ate, Louis filled them in on what he and his grand-uncle had been discussing.

"The Lux Veritatis manuscripts I've brought from the monastery tell of a weapon that can destroy the Nephilim once and for all. There is even a prophecy predicting it will be done. We're working on completing the translation. We should be done in a few hours. So far we know the weapon was scattered in many pieces across the world, but all we need is to pin down the location of the first piece. Each piece was buried with an encrypted map leading to the next one."

Their discussion was interrupted by a bleary-eyed Bryce, who shambled into the kitchen muttering angrily about something. Kurtis cocked his head at him. "Looks like someone got up on the wrong side of the bed."

Bryce gave him an indignant look. "More like got shoved out the wrong side of the bloody bed!" he spat, turning to throw a filthy look at Hillary, who passed by him on his way to collect Lara and Kurtis' plates. Lara smirked. The two had always had a somewhat adversarial relationship. She found it extremely entertaining.

Hillary rolled his eyes. "Oh please," he sighed. "It's practically dinner time, I merely thought you would want to be woken up."

Bryce continued his grumbling as he stuck his head in the fridge, emerging with a pot of yogurt. He sat down heavily beside Kurtis, pouring himself a mug of coffee from the carafe in the middle of the table. He loaded the coffee with sugar and cream, and after a few sips seemed to brighten up. _Sugar will do that,_ thought Lara. She had never understood how anyone could ruin a good cup of coffee with cream and sugar. She had always taken hers black. Anything else was just masking the taste of it, and if you had to mask the taste, what was the point?

Still smirking, Lara turned back to their two religious friends. "So, you think the location of the first piece is somewhere in your manuscripts?"

He nodded. "But that is not the only thing that needs investigating. Louis told me of your reaction in Helle's tomb. Would you permit me to look into why this might have happened?"

Lara narrowed her eyes. "What would that involve?"

"I think there might be clues in your heritage. I take it, in a manor as old as this, there are family records?"

Lara nodded. The library had a whole section devoted to Croft family history, after a grand aunt of hers had spent her life compiling it. "I suppose it can't hurt. Have at it, you'll find everything you need coded and catalogued in the library. If you need any guidance, Winston is the mastermind of the system in there."

They were joined by Laure and Detective Vey, who had clearly had his fill of the gym. The detective had cleaned up and changed, and took a seat at the table looking apprehensive.

"Something bothering you, detective?" asked Kurtis, draining his coffee mug.

Pierre had trouble meeting anyone's gaze.

"I've been in contact with Marie. Arnaud's condition is deteriorating. I know I promised to help you to bring down the Cabal once and for all, but I have to make my son my priority," he said quietly.

Lara signalled to Hillary to bring coffee and food for Laure and the detective. "Of course, Detective. We'll do what we can to help you. What is it you need?"

Now he raised his gaze to meet Lara's across the table. "Your library and the documents you brought from Paris may hold some clue as to what Eckhardt did to Arnaud. With your permission myself, Tristan and Sarah will start looking for information that might help."

Lara nodded. "You're welcome to make use of any resources we have here in the manor. Abbé, are you aware of the detective's situation?"

The abbot was curious to hear how he could help Pierre, and the two were soon deep in discussion.

Before long, the manor was quiet as every soul within worked furiously trying to extract what they could from the sources they had, aware all the while of the growing threat in the East.


	18. Chapter 18

**Home of Pierre Vey and Marie Lartigue, Boulogne-Billancourt, last year**

Dr Marie Lartigue closed her eyes and counted to ten very slowly. It was her oldest trick to prevent something she'd regret later escaping her mouth. Right now, there were hundreds of things she desperately wanted to say to her son, none of which would help the situation.

She had learned from bitter experience that Arnaud didn't respond to threats, anger, or even desperation from her. His involvement with Bouchard's gang had driven a wedge between her, her husband and her son since it began several years before.

What frustrated her most was that Arnaud was an intelligent man with so much potential, and he had chosen to waste it on a life of crime. More accurately, he had given up on his dream of becoming a writer when he emerged from university and struggled to find paid work. What started as a few errands, a way of earning a little cash, had turned into a full career as one of Bouchard's most trusted henchmen. Her beautiful, sensitive son had become almost unrecognisable to her. With a reputation as one of the toughest men in Bouchard's gang, he seemed to have lost his humanity completely. It had broken her heart.

Now she opened her eyes to see the broad-shouldered, heavily muscled man standing in front of her with anger in his eyes, and she sighed. "Arnaud, you know I'm always happy to see you."

He gave a derisive snort of laughter. "To see your son, the disappointment? Don't give me that, maman. I'm not that gullible. Anyway, I'm just here to let you know that I'll be away on assignment for a few months in Turkey. The boss has a contact there he needs me to check out. So you don't jump to any conclusions if you don't hear from me for a while."

Marie's pulse sped. "Months? Will you be back in time for Christmas?"

His voice dripped with sarcasm. "Why, you and Daddy dearest want me to carve the turkey?"

Panic at the thought of what dangers he was likely to be facing on this assignment had bled all the anger out of her. Sorrow rushed in to fill the vacuum, and she felt tears pricking at her eyes. She stood and turned quickly to face the wall.

Gathering her strength and forcing her voice to be steady, she responded "Regardless of what has been said and done between all of us, Arnaud, we are still your family. We still want you here with us." Her voice finally broke as she finished: "Please, wherever you go and whatever you do, remember that. Remember that I love you," she whispered the last as she felt tears finally start to track down her cheeks.

There was silence behind her. Arnaud's voice, when it came, held none of the anger or sarcasm from before. "Maman..." he trailed off. She heard him approach behind her, and felt his hand on her shoulder. It was the final push that sent her over the edge and into full weeping. She reached her hand up to grip his tightly as she continued to stare out the window, letting her tears fall.

They were interrupted by a key turning in the door. Pierre was home from work. Mother and son turned towards the door, as the detective stepped through.

Shock registered on his face when he saw Arnaud, and his eyes narrowed as he took in his wife's distraught features, but he contained his instincts. Months ago he would have berated his son for upsetting Marie, but he had learned this only led to further trouble.

He kept his voice calm and soft as he approached, almost like he was speaking to someone standing on a ledge, threatening to jump. "Arnaud, I didn't expect to find you here. Will you stay for dinner?"

Marie wiped at her eyes, sniffing a little as she turned to her son. "Yes, please do stay for dinner, at least we can have a chance to speak properly before you leave."

Pierre's eyebrows shot up, but he didn't ask any questions. His son rewarded his restraint by explaining. "I came to say goodbye. I'm headed to Turkey on assignment for a few months."

There was silence as his father mulled over the safest possible response. "Will you be home for Christmas?"

Arnaud actually smiled, amused. "Maman said exactly the same thing. Guess I'm really invited for Christmas dinner then?"

Marie let out a short burst of nervous giggles, still struggling to control her tears. Pierre smiled weakly. "Of course you are, son. Will we see you?"

Arnaud hesitated. He looked from one parent to the other, and Pierre could have sworn he saw regret in his son's face. It was the most emotion, aside from anger, he'd seen Arnaud display in months.

Finally Arnaud smiled. "I'll be here for Christmas dinner. I can't stay tonight, though. I leave for Anatolia in an hour."

Marie hugged herself, feeling the familiar pang of pain and sadness that she had lived with for years now intensify.

Pierre crossed the room, hand out towards his son. Surprised, Arnaud shook it. "We'll see you at Christmas," he said.

Marie, stilling crying quietly, threw her arms around Arnaud, clinging tightly for a brief moment before breaking away and saying through tears, "I'll make the roast potatoes you like."

Arnaud smiled as he backed towards the door. "With goose fat? I'll look forward to it. Thank you," he said, opening the door and giving them a wave as he left.

When he was gone, Pierre and Marie sat in silence for a long time, before going to bed without dinner. Neither had much of an appetite for a long time.

* * *

 **Croft Manor, present day**

Lara popped another sweet into her mouth, sucking on it to extract the cherry flavour. She had turned to sugar to keep her awake through hours of reading, since caffeine didn't seem to be doing the trick anymore.

She had managed to sketch out a theory about the origin of the Nephilim, as well as pinpointing several possible locations for Karel's stronghold in Cappadocia. Problem was, there was no point going in there all guns blazing without the elusive weapon the Abbé had spoke about.

The two Lux Veritatis monks had been silent for hours, muttering to each other occasionally in French, responding in monosyllables to questions. Lara didn't want to disturb them, but the more time passed, the more likely an assault on the Manor was. With that uneasy thought, she decided to go and check on their prize. Finding this weapon might not be much help if Karel managed to resurrect Helle.

Slipping out of the library, she entered the tech room to find Bryce working on an old friend. He looked up as she entered. Grinning sheepishly at her raised eyebrow, he gestured to the robot: "I missed old Simon. Figured if I got him up and running again, he could help defend our little prize over there."

"Good call, Bryce. Just as long as he's no longer programmed to try to cut me into strips."

Bryce gave a nervous laugh that made her turn back towards him from the security keypad at the far wall. "Bryce...you will be able to reprogramme him?"

Her friend gave her a grin. "Of course! It just might take some time..."

Lara turned to face him. "So am I to be on guard for killer robots coming to get me while I sleep for the time being?"

"Ah, don't worry Lah, Kurtis will be there to defend you won't he?" Bryce winked at her, wiggling his eyebrows for further effect.

Lara bit back the retorts that sprang to mind, narrowing her eyes and grinning. "I suppose so," she conceded.

Before Bryce could respond, she turned back to the keyboard and finished unlocking the trophy room, throwing over her shoulder: "Any more smart remarks about Kurtis, and I'll treat you like I did Simon there, got it?"

She heard his hard swallow from across the room. "Got it."

Moments later, Lara stood facing the box containing Helle's remains, where it sat on a table at the back of the room. She bent over it, studying the symbols and the intricate gold lock that kept it closed. Not that they had any intention of trying to open it, of course. She thought back to her vision, and the anguish the Nephilim had felt in her final moments. What must that ceremony the monks performed have reduced her to? The idea that she could still be resurrected from what was in this box was both creepy and fascinating.

Leaning a little closer, she noted the Lux Veritatis symbols she had seen in the Tomb of Ancients and beneath the Strahov. She reached out and turned the box around, studying the symbols carved all around its oak edges. The design was beautifully detailed, and she could almost feel the power radiating from it, almost like a cold wind... _Hang on._

She felt an intense chill run down her spine, and had a second or two to realise that it was happening again before the vision took her. Between one blink and the next, her trophy room disappeared and she was standing on a busy street, surrounded by people dressed in clothes that were absolutely not from this century.

She was clearly back in Helle's time, in Paris. Looking around, she noticed she was standing near the entrance to the Tuileries gardens, in the midst of a group of well dressed people standing still as crowds of Parisiens hurried past them. As with her first vision, no one seemed to notice her. She started to pay attention to their conversation.

"Where is she? She said she'd be here at noon," said one agitated man. Lara was surprised to hear English. The group were clearly all English gentlemen, with one woman who looked to be about Lara's age standing quietly beside the agitated man. She was dressed in the kind of clothes one usually saw in grand portraits. Every one of the group were clearly aristocrats - no wonder they were feeling nervous, given the mood in the city.

Lara stepped back from the group and cast her gaze around the street. Suddenly she was met with a pair of dark eyes that seemed to trap her and draw her in. The eyes belonged to a woman standing several feet away, at the corner of the garden walls. It was as if everything slowed down, as the woman approached. There was no doubt that this was Helle, and she had recognised the intruder in her memories. She was even more beautiful than Lara remembered - dark haired, pale, tall and willowy, and dressed beautifully in clothes befitting a wealthy French aristocrat. As she drew closer, Lara noticed she was carrying a squirming bundle - her child.

Just as Helle drew level with Lara, Helle averted her gaze and addressed the group standing behind her. "I'm sorry I'm late, my friends, I had to make sure I was not followed." There was heavy emotion in her voice.

The man who spoke earlier stepped forward. "Helle, we've risked a lot coming here today. We need to do this quickly. The ship leaves shortly and we need to be on it."

Now that she was safe from Helle's gaze, Lara started to circle the group, watching the Nephilim's face. It was set in a determined but anguished expression as she looked down at the baby in her arms.

"Yes, Richard, I know. Here, please take him before my resolve fails me." The baby let out a small cry as he was transferred from his mother's arms to the man. The lady of the group stepped forward immediately and took the baby, a look akin to hunger on her face. She glanced nervously at Helle. "He'll be raised as our own, and he'll want for nothing. You're doing the right thing, Helle."

Helle closed her eyes, then reached up and covered her face with her hands. Speaking through her hands, she said: "Please, go, all of you." Then, lowering her hands, she fixed the woman with an intense gaze. "You cannot even imagine the importance of this child, not just to me but to the world. Keep him safe always, but never reveal to him his true nature."

As she finished speaking, Helle's gaze flickered back to Lara's, and Lara's heart rate started to speed up. _She knows I'm here, there's no doubt about it_ , she thought.

Suddenly, she felt a harsh buzzing in her ear, and a shadow passed before her eyes. She blinked, and thought she saw someone else in front of her. She looked back to where Helle stood, now alone as her friends hurried away with her child. The Nephilim looked strangely calm as she gazed at Lara, but Lara couldn't maintain her focus, and the buzzing in her ear started to form into words: "Lara...Lara..."

She blinked to clear her vision, and Helle's face was replaced with Kurtis'. The angle of her view had changed so that it became clear she was lying flat on the ground. _Floored by another vision, great_ , she mused.

Kurtis' voice, and his tight grip on her shoulder, brought her back to her senses. "Lara? Are you back?"

She focused on his face, and her vision cleared finally. She cleared her throat and tried to sit up, but felt instantly dizzy and lay back down, Kurtis helping to lower her gently.

"I'm back," she said once she was lying on the ground again.

The relief on his face was replaced quickly with anger.

"So, what, you hit a brick wall with the old fashioned research and you thought 'maybe I'll trigger another life-threatening vision to move things along?'" he asked, glaring down at her from where he was crouched beside her.

She frowned at him, then closed her eyes and shook her head. "I came in here to examine the box, see if any of the symbols linked up with what I was reading..." she opened her eyes and glared back at him "...not that I have to defend myself to you."

His face hardened even further. "Are you kidding me Croft? I just came in here to find you lying on the floor cold as ice! For a minute there I thought you were dead. I warned you about this - you can't afford to take stupid risks with this shit, you have no idea what you're dealing with."

Lara sprang to her feet, driven by the shock of his words and the sudden rage she felt. "I have no idea? That's rich! I've carried this whole operation from the beginning, and I did it while I was on the run from the police. I don't need you to baby me, Kurtis. Take a look around this room - every one of these trophies cost me ten times what I've experienced on this case, but I still won them. So don't you dare condescend me."

He gave a derisive laugh. "Right, sorry, I forgot the bulletproof Lara Croft was a lone wolf," and he held up his hands in a mea culpa gesture, backing up towards the door. "You want to get yourself killed by sticking your nose in too far before we know what we're dealing with, fine, be my guest. Just try not to screw it up for the rest of us while you're at it, ok?"

"Fuck you, Kurtis," she spat at him as he went.

"In your dreams, babe," he retorted. The comment was as far from flirty as possible, filled with bitterness.

He turned his back and walked out of the room, leaving her standing there, chest heaving up and down in outrage.


	19. Chapter 19

As soon as Kurtis was gone, Lara closed up the trophy room and made her way out of the manor, desperate for some fresh air. The combination of the fight and her vision had left her filled with adrenaline, rage, and frustration.

Who did he think he was? She had no room in her life for someone who felt the need to protect her, to scold her for risking her life. Given she risked her life for a living, that kind of thing would get very old very fast. She worked alone for a lot of reasons, but one of them was because she didn't have to answer to anyone but herself for her tactics.

As she walked across the garden, she admitted to herself that deep down there was hurt too. Fighting with him, the nasty words they said, that all hurt her, and she hated that almost as much as she hated Kurtis' attitude. It was rare that she let anyone make her feel like this, and with good reason.

They had been cooped up in the manor for two days now, and everyone was starting to get snappy with each other. They weren't moving fast enough. The group was full of the nervous tension that came with constantly expecting an attack, and with no way to expend that energy, fighting was inevitable.

As she reached the maze, she slowed her pace to a brisk walk and began to weave her way and in and out of the familiar hedge, until she was thoroughly buried in it. She reached a small clearing with a stone bench and stood pacing in front of it, thoughts racing.

She had battled a T Rex, an Atlantean god, a dragon, and all manner of natural and supernatural monsters and lived to tell the tale. She had managed to crawl out of that collapsed tomb, she had lasted long enough for Putai to find and heal her, and she had worked hard to regain her health and her fitness. She had been through a lot the past few years, but it was time to admit that the past few months had nearly killed her. She had been hiding from that fact, telling herself this was just the next adventure, but it was different this time.

As she continued to pace, she started to ponder the bigger picture - did she want Kurtis in her life long term? If she did, there would be plenty more where this fight came from. Especially if they stayed cooped up in Croft Manor for much longer. She was just beginning to weigh up the pros and cons of a relationship when Winston came around the corner to her right, a tray bearing a cup of tea and a plate of biscuits in hand.

She immediately stopped pacing and went to take the tray from him. She could see his arms trembling under the weight.

"You shouldn't be putting yourself under such strain, Winston," she said.

The old man smiled, taking a seat at the edge of the bench. "I could say the same to you, Lara."

She had to give him that one. Why did it not make her angry coming from Winston?

"I know, I know. It's just I've been going mad these past few days. We're hitting a wall, we have no idea where to go next. I need to do something...no, I need to shoot something!" she added with a wry smile.

Winston smiled and shook his head at her. "I would offer to help you with target practice but we both know my days as your combat training assistant are long past."

Now it was Lara's turn to smile and shake her head. Winston continued:

"I brought you sweet tea and biscuits because Mr Trent told me what happened in the trophy room. He said you would need to bring your blood sugar up or risk fainting again. Please, drink your tea Lara."

Lara almost dropped the tray in shock. She turned and placed it on one end of the bench. "Kurtis sent you out here?" she asked carefully.

Winston nodded, and by the look in his eyes she knew he had overheard their fight. "He has a temper to match your own, but he cares about you Lara."

Lara sighed, taking the mug from the tray and joining Winston on the bench. As she drank the tea, she started to feel herself calm down and perk up.

She decided to change the subject.

"You always were good at finding my hiding places," she commented as she took one of the biscuits. He had stacked the plate with Jammy Dodgers and Bourbons, her favourites. It brought her straight back to her childhood.

"You always came here to pace and work out your frustrations after a fight with your parents. Some things never change," said Winston.

Pausing with the mug in her lap, Lara turned to look at him sheepishly. "Am I that predictable?"

Winston laughed. She took that as a yes. She couldn't help but laugh at herself. "You're doing it again, just like back then," she said, nudging him gently with her shoulder.

"Doing what?' he asked innocently.

"Making me feel like a right madam for throwing a tantrum."

This time, Winston didn't laugh. "Lara, if what I overheard is anything to go by, this is more than a tantrum. You share many qualities with Mr Trent, not the least of which is a tendency to go your own way regardless of the feelings of others. It's stood to you until now, but you have to ask yourself if this is how you want it to be for the rest of your life?"

She finished her tea, put her mug down and sat her hands in her lap, gazing down at them. "I don't know, Winston, maybe it's too late for either of us to let anyone in."

Winston, always a great listener, said nothing, waiting for her to continue.

"I've made the mistake of trusting men before, and I've been rewarded for that trust with betrayal. Even if I can get past the fact that we'll constantly clash with each other, how can I know whether to trust him...?"

Winston was quiet for a moment, then reached across her to pick up two Bourbon biscuits. He handed one to her and then began to eat his, looking thoughtful. Taking the hint, she ate the biscuit, and it really did help. Bourbons always helped.

Finally, Winston spoke: "Ever since you were a little girl I've marveled at your strength, your speed, and your intelligence, Lara. I've seen you form alliances with a number of people, and I've seen you go through the betrayals that hurt you so much. I understand your hesitation, but Lara, I had never seen you with someone who could match you, keep up with you, complement you as a person...until now. You know I don't get involved with your personal life, but on this occasion I would urge you to give this a chance. I can't help but wonder if fate brought you together for a reason. If that means you both have to swallow some of your pride to get on with things...well, you've both got pride to spare haven't you?"

Lara smiled weakly at him. "I suppose I can't argue with that."

He nodded. "This is not something to be taken lightly. You should still tread as carefully as always. But Lara, trust me when I tell you that a real relationship means real work. If you choose to commit to this man, you can't run for the hills every time you have a disagreement. If you choose to trust him, then do it. Give it your all. Trust me when I say, a true love, a true partnership, if that's what this is, is worth the risk."

Lara knew he was thinking of his late wife, Mary, who had been taken from him tragically by an illness at a young age. Winston had moved in to Croft Manor soon after losing her. Lara put a hand on her old friend's shoulder and squeezed it in gratitude. "Thank you, Winston. I don't think I'll ever grow out of needing your pep talks."

She stood, picking up the tray despite Winston's protests.

They made their way out of the maze and back into the manor, a walk they had made together many times before.

* * *

She found Kurtis in the kitchen, drinking a mug of coffee and reading through a manila folder she recognised from Werner's stash. He glanced up briefly as she sat down opposite him, then went back to his reading.

Without looking up, he said "Winston find you?"

"Yes, thank you," she replied, a little stiffly. She was going to practice that pride swallowing trick, if it killed her.

He looked up, closing the folder as he studied her. Some of the tension between them bled away as he realised she wasn't going to continue their fight.

"Feeling better?"

She nodded, holding his gaze. Taking a deep breath, she said what she had been rehearsing on her way in here: "I don't usually play well with others, Kurtis. Especially not when those others try to tell me what to do."

He opened his mouth to reply, but she gently cut him off. "But. I'm a big girl, like I said, and I should be able to tell the difference between someone telling me what to do and someone actually giving a toss about me. I'm sorry, I should have listened to you. I let my cabin fever and my curiosity get the better of me."

He was gaping at her. After a moment, he seemed to realise and closed his mouth, his eyes softening.

"I'm sorry too. I'm not usually so overbearing. You just gave me a bit of a scare there, Croft. Wasn't fun coming in to find you on the ground playing dead."

She sighed, bowing her head. "I know. I probably would have yelled at you if the roles were reversed. But look, if we're going to work together we can't bite each others' heads off every time we get scared...last thing we need is for the Cabal to sneak in here and steal the box while we're fighting with each other."

"No arguments here. Although if we don't get somewhere soon, I'd almost welcome a Cabal attack. I'm going crazy here."

"Me too. But for now, we need to talk about that vision. Join me for a walk?"

He closed the folder and hopped up. "I've read it three times anyway," he said, following her out the back door from the kitchen to the gardens.

Evening was falling, and it was hard to see much in the dying light. They walked aimlessly, passing her assault course and eventually coming to the gun range as Lara filled Kurtis in on what happened in her vision.

"Have you ever heard of someone being able to interact with the people in their visions?" she asked, referring to Helle's seeming eye contact with her.

He shook his head. "I'm not the expert on this, but it sounds pretty unusual to me. It's worth asking the abbot though. Could mean something, could be just how your mind interpreted the vision. As far as I know, the Order doesn't fully understand this side of our powers because everyone's experience is different."

"Have you ever had one? A vision I mean?"

Another shake of the head. "My father figured once I reached 16 and hadn't experienced it, that the power was dormant inside me and unlikely to develop. But that doesn't mean it never will. Lux Veritatis powers are a bit unpredictable - that aspect got even worse as the bloodlines got more and more limited."

Lara cocked her head at him. "Limited bloodlines? Are you saying you're inbred?" she teased.

He chuckled. "I'm lucky - my Dad branched out and married outside of the Order, so I have all my fingers and toes and a normal sized head. But yeah, I do think some of the other families have taken the whole thing too far."

The atmosphere between them had lightened significantly by the time they were level with the gun range. Noticing the targets, Kurtis remarked "Ever get the feeling that you just really need to shoot something?"

Lara shook her head, laughing. "You read my mind. Fancy some target practice?"

"Sounds like a plan."

* * *

 _That's better,_ thought Lara, firing off another shot at her target. They had both relaxed into the session quickly, feeling more comfortable with the familiar grip of their pistols in their hands, and the sound of gunfire spliced with their playful banter floating through the air. They were neck and neck on points when their session was interrupted by Bryce, who appeared from the manor with his fingers in his ears, waving to get Lara's attention from her left.

They both clicked the safety on their guns and put them away as Bryce raced toward them.

"You two better stop messing around out here, the monks have had a breakthrough!" he exclaimed when he was level with them.

He stopped to catch his breath, and Lara was about to remark about how he should really make use of the manor's gym when he cut her off: "How'd you like to visit Cambodia again?"


	20. Chapter 20

Siem Reap airport was, as per usual, full of tourists headed for Angkor Wat. It was winter in Western Europe, which mean dry season in Cambodia. High season. Lara had cursed the timing - navigating the temples was going to be even more difficult if it meant tripping over coachloads of Chinese tourists everywhere they went.

Both Lara and Kurtis were, nevertheless, relieved to be on solid ground after almost an entire day spent in an airplane.

Luckily, they weren't headed for the well-beaten tourist track around the core parts of the Angkor complex.

Thanks to ID provided by M15 some years ago in return for her services, Lara had no problems moving internationally with all manner of guns and weaponry. Kurtis, for his part, had an impressive collection of fake IDs and an easy manner with public servants that made the whole process a cinch for him as well. If Lara felt a twinge of jealousy watching him flirt with the Cambodian woman working at customs, she didn't let herself admit it.

Lara's contact, Chantha, was waiting for them in the arrivals hall. She smiled when she caught sight of him, plaid shirt open over a cotton t shirt and a pair of jeans. 40 degrees outside, and he was wearing jeans. Lara could already feel beads of sweat making their way down the back of her neck.

"Lara! Man, it was good to hear from you," he said when he caught sight of her. She reached him and gave him a nod and a grin. "It's good to be back. Thanks for meeting us."

She introduced Kurtis and the two men shook hands. Touching wasn't a big thing in Cambodia, or she might have hugged her Khmer friend. In particular, physical contact between unmarried men and women tended to draw the wrong kind of attention, and she was nothing if not discreet.

They emerged, squinting in the sunlight, to find Chantha had three motorbikes parked and waiting. Bikes and mopeds were the most common method of transport in Siem Reap, which suited Lara and Kurtis just fine. They loaded their backpacks into the storage boxes of their bikes and set off for their hotel.

It felt damn good to be on a bike again, thought Lara. She glanced across at Kurtis as they roared down the wide road leading from Siem Reap airport into the town. He looked just as happy as she was. He looked up and caught her eye, grinning at her. She smiled back. The task ahead of them was daunting, but for once she was glad to have a partner by her side to face it with.

* * *

 **Croft Manor, two days ago**

The monks were sitting with Laure at one of the large oak tables in the library when Lara and Kurtis arrived, closely followed by Bryce and the three French police officers. It seemed it was time for another team meeting.

Wordless, they sat down across from the Limoux men, who were surrounded by parchments covered in ancient scripts and diagrams.

When they were all seated, Louis looked expectantly at his grand uncle. The abbot gave a nod, and Louis began to lay out what they had discovered.

"Thank you for your patience, my friends. It has been difficult to form a clear and accurate picture of where we need to go - just this morning we finished translating the last piece of the puzzle from an ancient text in Aramaic. It tells of how the Nephilim came to be. As you all know, they are the children of angels or "sons of god" and the daughters of men - essentially half angels. The word Nephilim can also be translated as 'those who have fallen'. Make of that what you will. Ezekiel 32:37 speaks of 'giants', which leads me to wonder whether Karel is a full Nephilim. Lara, Kurtis, you said he was the size of an average man?"

They both nodded. "Could he have been taking on the form of a normal sized man to blend in?" asked Lara.

Louis nodded. "It's possible, but we have no way of knowing the full extent of his powers. These texts give broad outlines of the story of the Nephilim, as well as the prophecies attached to them. But nowhere does it mention specific supernatural powers. Best to be on your guard, however."

"Some of the Lux Veritatis bedtime stories," began Kurtis, before smiling bitterly at the term, "were about people being carried off by giants, and how the knights of the Order were able to protect their families only because of their supernatural powers. There could be some truth to the giant thing."

Louis continued: "We can only assume that we haven't seen the full extent of this Nephilim's power. From the information we have gathered, the Nephilim were never supposed to be immortal. Even the Old Testament says that their lives were to be limited - specifically, to one hundred and twenty years. I gather Karel seems to have lived somewhat longer than this. There are some accounts in the manuscripts of the Order that mention him, dating back to the 18th century.

In any case, it seems that he originated the idea of using alchemically transmuted body parts, and black magic, to sustain him past his expected life span. It's possible this is how he came across Eckhardt, who he saw as a vehicle for his mission and a scapegoat to shield himself with. It worked so well, even the Order was fooled. We have spent almost a century chasing him, thinking the biggest danger was of him reviving the Nephilim race, all the while with no idea that Karel still existed among us. It seems those that recorded his presence thought he was just another of Eckhardt's disciples.

The Nephilim's original home was Canaan, roughly around modern Israel, Palestine, Jordan and Syria. Our manuscripts tell of how God evicted them from their home, installing Moses and the Israelites. This, it seems, is the origin of the power struggle we now come up against. Bitter and angry that God had cast them out, the Nephilim declared war on the human race. They began finding ways to strengthen themselves, to extend their lifespan. It seems God intervened, however, and destroyed most of them, believing they were an abomination. Some escaped, and made their home in the underground cities of Cappadocia."

Kurtis frowned. "Cappadocia has some great importance for Karel according the Rouzic's files. It must be central to whatever he's planning."

Lara shook her head. "What's the betting he's holed up there right now, recovering?"

Louis nodded. "Yes, it's in Derinkuyu, one of the underground cities, that he will need to perform the ritual to resurrect Helle. It's unclear how he will do this, but at least we know that without her bones he can't do anything just yet. It's also almost certainly where he went to heal after the events in the Strahov - being close to where his brethren lived would be his best chance of returning to full strength quickly."

"Derinkuyu holds the most power, and is also your best chance of bringing together the weapon that can destroy Karel."

Lara raised her eyebrows. "So we have to somehow get into Karel's living room to do this? While he's there?"

Louis nodded again. "I'm afraid so. Once you have the component parts, you'll have to find the ritual chamber in Derinkuyu, and there the weapon will empower you to destroy Karel and any other Nephilim that exist."

Lara sighed. "Ok. So what's in Cambodia?"

Louis turned to his grand uncle, who took over: "The first piece of the weapon is hidden in a temple near Siem Reap. This weapon was given to man by God, as a safeguard in case the Nephilim ever returned. It's written that He came in different guises to leaders of three major civilisations around the globe, and entrusted them each with one piece of the weapon. Each piece was buried with a map to the next piece - much like the Obscura paintings.

After the Nephilim were defeated by God and His angels, He made them swear they would never return to Earth, and risk creating more Nephilim. So, He had to leave behind something for man to protect himself with. This He did in two manners: He created this weapon we speak of, and to those He entrusted it to He gave something else: the knowledge, and the power, to defeat the Nephilim when the time comes. This they passed down through generations, waiting for their moment. However, as the centuries went by, it seems a lot of this information was lost to us...until now."

Kurtis laughed. "Little did He know, that power would attract anything and everything dark and deadly."

Louis interjected here: "Actually, my interpretation is that this was the intention, Kurtis. By fighting constant battles with demons of all kind, our powers grew and our skills were honed. This allowed us to always be ready, even if the Nephilim didn't resurface for generations."

Kurtis' only response was to sigh. Tristan, who was sitting next to him, put a hand on his shoulder. "Tough break, dude." he said with his thick French accent, which made Kurtis laugh.

Lara was rubbing at her temples. It was a lot of information to take in, but she felt more at home as the monks spread out several maps in front of them. She perked up when she realised what she was looking at - a tomb, essentially. This was more like it. The abbot gestured at the map in front of them:

"This is a map of Ta Nei, the temple under which you'll find the first piece. It will be shaped like an idol, a statue of the Hindu god Brahma. This was one of the forms God took when he made contact with man to deliver His message."

Lara raised one eyebrow. "Are you telling me Christianity isn't the one true faith, Abbé?"

The abbot smiled at her. "We of the Order are somewhat more enlightened than some of our brothers of the cloth, Lady Croft. God can be found in many forms around the world - all religions are just different interpretations of the same entity. Whether divided into many, or just one, the divine being remains the same. Though man has chosen to interpret the message a bit differently across the world, more for social and political reasons than for religious reasons."

Lara was impressed. A cynic to her core, this was pretty much the theory she had worked off for years. She could not deny the existence of God, or in some cases several Gods. She had seen the evidence with her own eyes. She wondered where Set would fit into the Abbé's theory, but decided that discussion could wait until another day.

Once fully briefed, Lara and Kurtis began making arrangements to get to Siem Reap. They were at her computer booking flights when Detective Vey approached. He and his colleagues had been suspiciously quiet during the monks' talk.

"Detective, what's up? Have you found anything that might help Arnaud?" Kurtis asked.

Vey nodded, though he didn't look very happy about it. "I have a number of contacts thanks to the Abbé, but nothing as concrete as I'd like. That's not what I wanted to talk to you about, though."

Lara cocked her head in curiosity. The detective continued:

"There's been another Monstrum killing, this time in Istanbul. It's become impossible for the Paris police, or Interpol, to keep denying the problem continues. It didn't end with Eckhardt, and now they know that. They're trying to pass it off as a copycat, but I've been called back to Paris to work the case."

Lara interjected: "With the potential Cabal mole in the police, surely it's not safe for you to go back to work?"

He shook his head. "I can take care of myself. Besides, I can't just abandon my city and my work to the Cabal. Someone has to try to root the mole out, and someone has to work on the official side to stop these killings. Between that and Marie, I need to return to Paris. At least for now. Besides," he added with a slightly bitter smile, "I don't expect I would have been invited on the expedition to Cambodia?"

Lara felt a twinge of guilt. She had just gotten used to working with Kurtis, and she was certainly not likely to let anyone else in on her operation at this stage. She had had no intention of bringing the police officers along.

"What about Sarah and Tristan?" she asked, avoiding the subject of Cambodia for now.

"They'll stay to guard Helle's remains, in case Karel gets any ideas about attacking the Manor."

Lara wasn't entirely comfortable leaving such a large group behind. If anything happened to Laure, the monks, Bryce, Hillary or Winston, she would blame herself. Thinking on it, having Sarah and Tristan here to protect the manor would give Lara some peace of mind.

She nodded in agreement. "You'll keep in touch, and watch your back?" she said.

Vey smiled. "I always do."

* * *

 **Siem Reap, today**

They didn't waste any time once they arrived at their hotel outside the city. It was quiet, and small, far away from the bars, restaurants and clubs of Pub Street, and out of the way of the main route to Angkor Wat. Consequently, the hotel was both cheap and discreet. Perfect for their needs.

After showering and changing, Lara and Kurtis made their way back to the bikes to start the journey to Ta Nei. Chantha had organised passes allowing them access to the sites as Government-approved archaeologists, ostensibly to excavate a new section of the temple. This ensured the site was closed to tourists for the day (not that it was a particularly popular temple anyway), and that no one bothered them while they worked.

As they sped down the main highway taking them out towards the Angkor complex, Lara's stomach was grumbling. She hadn't eaten since the flight, and airplane food always left a lot to be desired anyway. She was still able to pick out her favourite sticky rice stand from the multitude of offerings on the side of the road, and signalled to Kurtis to pull over.

After a brief conversation with Mu, the owner of the stand, in Lara's limited but still functional Khmer, they were both leaning against their bikes near the stand, eating the savoury rice from bamboo sticks.

"You take me to the best places, Lady Croft," Kurtis commented as he peeled back the wooden casing to get at the rice. Grabbing a decent lump of rice and black beans, Lara took her time chewing before responding: "Don't tell me you've never tried sticky rice before? I thought you were well travelled."

"The Legion didn't exactly leave us time for tourism, I'm afraid. Clearly tomb raiding involves making friends with the local fast food proprietors eh?"

Lara nodded. "Contacts are everything in this game. Mu's just told me that guides are starting to avoid Ta Nei. Some odd things have been happening there lately - freak accidents, animals behaving strangely. It's only been open to tourists for a few years, and it looks like it won't be open for much longer. You think the weapon's resting place has some sort of enchantment around it to repel visitors?"

Kurtis considered this as he finished his rice. "It's possible. I've heard about similar stuff that the Order casts around its tombs and treasures. Usually it just gives ordinary humans a sense of foreboding strong enough to make them avoid the area, or it makes them suddenly remember something they have to do elsewhere. But it could be that this place is a little more extreme. Hopefully it'll recognise me and we can skip the nasty accidents..."

Finishing her rice, Lara deposited her bamboo casing and Kurtis' into the bin provided, and thanked Mu, promising to visit again before she left Cambodia. They hopped on the bikes and set off again in the direction of Ta Nei.

They had to park the bikes some way away from the temple, which was hidden deep in the jungle surrounded by enormous trees. Continuing on foot through the lush green of the woods, Lara couldn't help but appreciate her surroundings. She had had some hairy experiences in Cambodia, but none of them had served to blunt her love of the country. Its people were so welcoming, and its history so rich and enticing, that it one of her favourite countries to work in.

Kurtis paused, just ahead of Lara, holding out a hand to let her know to stop. A rustling in the trees alerted them that they weren't alone. A moment later, three monkeys emerged from the trees. The macaques weren't an unusual sight here, most of the temples being practically overrun with them. They tended to hang around in the hopes of relieving tourists of food and shiny objects when they weren't paying attention. However, these monkeys were clearly in an altered state of mind as they milled around ahead of Lara and Kurtis. They scuttled in agitated circles, squawking and scratching at each other. It was almost as though they were possessed.

Unfortunately, the way to the temple was right behind them, so they would have to get past them somehow. Lara didn't fancy battling a potentially diseased monkey, and she didn't lightly shoot wildlife either, so she indicated to Kurtis they should go around. Hoping they wouldn't be noticed, they carefully tiptoed through the fallen leaves and branches on the ground, trying not to make too much noise. The monkeys didn't seem to notice, and Lara had started to believe they might escape when they drew level with the animals and they suddenly stopped fighting each other and all stared right at her.

"Shit," she whispered to Kurtis, just as the monkeys started sprinting straight for them.

There was nothing for it - both were forced to draw their guns and shoot the animals dead. When the three lay unmoving in front of them, they approached cautiously.

"They don't look any different to the monkeys I've seen before around here," remarked Lara.

Kurtis sighed. "They must have got too close to the temple. It scrambled their minds. Either that or the temple is recruiting the wildlife to get rid of anyone who comes too close. We should move quickly - I'd rather not have to shoot any more animals."

"Me neither," agreed Lara. They quickened their pace, and reached the temple without any further issues.

The closer they got, the more Lara could feel the hair on the back of her neck standing up. This was different to the feeling she had gotten in Helle's tomb. It was appealing to the deeply rooted instinct inside her - the instinct to survive. Usually when presented with a fight or flight situation, Lara chose fight. This feeling, however, was all flight. Knowing what was causing it helped her resist, but the closer they got, the tougher it was.

"I don't suppose you're feeling that, that instinct to run away?" she asked Kurtis, although she already knew the answer. "Guess it doesn't affect people in the Order" was his response. "Lucky you," she responded sardonically. He turned and gave her a cheeky grin. "Don't worry, Croft, I'm here. You're safe, I'll protect you."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You'll pay for that later Trent," she promised.

Ta Nei was one of the few nearly untouched temples in the area. Similarly to the more popular Ta Prohm, it had been swallowed by the jungle, with giant tree trunks skewered through walls and roofs, winding in and out of what was once a proud building.

Intricate carvings covered key sections of the walls, depicting scenes from Buddhist stories. While on her knees examining one such scene, which was set on the top of a door, which along with its corresponding section of the temple was sunken almost completely into the ground, something caught Lara's eye. The scene depicted a battle, with armies of men facing off against one figure. It looked to be a giant, and the giant was producing fire from its arms. She called Kurtis over to where she was, and reached out to brush some dust away from the carving just as he knelt down beside her.

"Take a look at this," she said, still brushing at the carving. "Remind you of anyone?" she asked, gesturing to what she was sure was a Nephilim. Kurtis reached out to the carving, and they both worked to clear away the dust that was obscuring some of the carving.

As they worked closer to the centre of the image, their hands brushed each other. Instantly, they both felt a strong static shock as sparks flew from where their hands met and began to circulate on the carvings.

Neither had very long to process this, however, because that was when the ground fell out from under them and they both plunged into the abyss below.


	21. Chapter 21

_What is it with Khmer temples and these kinds of booby traps?_ Lara wondered to herself as she slowly stood, switching on the LED light attached to her belt as she did.

Kurtis had acted swiftly as they fell, reaching out to grab her hand and slow their fall just as he did in Prague. That hadn't completely cushioned them, however, and they had landed on a dusty stone floor far below, falling to the ground and lying there for a moment to catch their breath.

Lara stood, taking a look at their surroundings. Light streamed into where they stood from the hole which was at least twenty feet above them. They seemed to be standing in a large, round chamber with three tunnels leading out, set around the room. Above each tunnel was an inscription in Khmer. Lara set about reading the inscription at the tunnel nearest her, saying over her shoulder to Kurtis: "Would you believe that's not the first time I've been dumped into a tomb in that manner?"

He laughed, standing next to her as he dusted himself down. "Well, it was a first for me. Not that I was in a hurry to lose my falling-down-a-big-hole virginity..."

He noticed her concentration, and asked in surprise: "You can read ancient Khmer?" Without glancing away from the inscription, she nodded. Kurtis gave a low whistle. "You're full of surprises..."

Then, glancing back at the other tunnels: "I think I should be able to scout down these tunnels using farsee, what do you reckon?"

Finishing her translation, Lara turned back to Kurtis. "That might provide a bit more clarity than these inscriptions. This first one just says this is the path of the afflictions, or kleshas, states of mind that Buddhists should strive to avoid. We could take that to mean we need to avoid this tunnel, but it could also be interpreted as the path to cleansing of the afflictions..."

She shook her head, turning back to him. "This is so typical. We're in a Buddhist tomb searching for a Hindu icon. The Khmers could never seem to settle on one religion. So many of the temples around here have gone from Hindu to Buddhist and back again." She paused, sighing. "Tomb raiding is rarely a definitive art. Give farsee a go, I'll stand watch."

Kurtis didn't hesitate, gathering his energy before thrusting his palms out in front of him. This gesture was more a habit to focus the power than a necessity, but it helped him with his aim. He cast his consciousness out past his physical body, feeling the familiar, almost sickening, lurch as he did so.

A quick trip down that first tunnel and Kurtis was beginning to sweat from both the effort of using the power, and apprehension at what he saw. He travelled as far down the tunnel as the power would allow him, before quickly pulling his mind to his body.

With a sharp inhale, he glanced around to find Lara looking at him expectantly. "Well, that tunnel will take us to what we want from the looks of it - it ends with a chamber and a table holding a statue of Brahma that could be our weapon. But it's pretty treacherous, there are massive holes in the floor, flames, spikes..."

Lara nodded calmly. "Standard stuff really. Do you have enough energy to check the other two tunnels?"

Kurtis gave her a hurt look. "You underestimate me, Lady Croft. I'll manage." With that, he was gone again.

Each of the other two tunnels led to the same chamber holding the statue of Brahma. It seemed their only choice was which particular set of traps they wanted to take on.

They settled on the first tunnel, the path of the afflictions. Once she had translated the other inscriptions, Lara didn't like the sound of them much better. "Samsara is rebirth," she said of the second tunnel. "To be reborn we'd have to die...no thanks." The third tunnel was titled "The path of Arhat", or "one who is worthy". This seemed suspicious to Lara, as surely anyone who would proclaim themselves "one who is worthy"...was inherently unworthy. "Likely to be a trick," she concluded, deciding on the first tunnel. "Well I guess that beats eeny meeny miny mo," was Kurtis' only comment.

They managed to clear the first few traps without issue - first, a sequence of intermittent flames emitting from both sides of the wall. Timing it carefully, Lara demonstrated with what seemed like impossible grace how to weave through them safely. Kurtis managed to follow, with significantly less grace. Next was a chasm that might have been hidden from the uneducated observer, which they easily cleared with a running jump. On the other side, they had barely taken three steps before Lara heard a tell-tale blowing sound and grabbed Kurtis, flattening them both to the ground as arrows flew past above their heads. They were forced to crawl military-style for a few feet to avoid several sets of these arrows which they could now spot sticking out of the wall.

As they crawled, Kurtis commented "So this is how you got your kicks before Paris? I gotta say I'm beginning to question your sanity..."

As they reached the last of the arrows and finally stood again, Lara poked him playfully in the chest: "My past is the reason I've been able to keep us alive so far, so count yourself lucky Trent."

* * *

 **Croft Manor, two days ago**

 _How did I get so lucky?_ thought Kurtis, gazing across at the woman in the armchair opposite him. Her eyes were fixed on the crackling fire, lost in thought. No doubt mentally preparing herself for their journey the next morning.

He had a moment of intense gratitude that he didn't have to go through this alone. He had been alone for so long, and he'd always told himself that that was how he liked it. But now that he had found her, someone that at times seemed made for him, he looked back at his solitary existence of the past few years and saw it differently.

Their personalities were bound to clash as they had earlier, but this gave him no real pause when he contemplated their relationship. For him, the only question was, would she really have him as her partner? _So far, so good,_ he thought with a smile as her eyes flicked from the fire to meet his, and a warm smile spread across her face.

They had made their way upstairs to Lara's study, which formed part of her bedroom suite. It was one of her favourite rooms in the house, featuring a beautiful fireplace, comfortable armchairs and couches, and bookshelves housing a selection of her favourites. It was evening, and at Lara's request Hillary had lit the fire, so the room was cosy and inviting as they settled in the plush armchairs opposite each other.

"What?" Lara asked as her smile grew wider. Kurtis realised he had a goofy smile on his face, and tried his best to wipe it off. _Better not come on too strong,_ he thought. "Nothing," he replied, and gave her a mischievous grin. He knew exactly the sort of effect that grin could have on women, and used it shamelessly. Lara's only response was to roll her eyes, and sip the brandy she had brought up.

Kurtis couldn't remember the last time he'd had brandy, and of course had given her a hard time about her extensive collection of expensive alcohol.

"Sure you don't mind sharing your stash with a lowly plebian like myself, your highness?" he'd quipped. She'd raised her eyebrows at him and threatened to let him sleep in the stables if he kept it up. Of course, there was no way he was going to back down - flirting with her like this had become his favourite pastime.

They sat in quiet companionship for a while, both lost in thought, enjoying the brandy. They were about halfway through their drinks when Lara spoke up: "So what's your drink of choice when you're off duty?"

He thought about it for a moment. "Probably whiskey. Been a while since I've been 'off duty' though."

"When was the last time you saw your mother?" she asked.

He frowned, surprised by the question. "Um, I guess it's been a while. I made it back to Utah a little while after I left the Legion, to check on her. We keep in touch over the phone, mostly. The tribe take good care of her, and she's been safe from demons since Dad and I left."

"Must have been a hard life for her, losing both of you like that," Lara commented.

Kurtis shook his head. "She's a hard woman. But yeah, it hasn't been easy for her. What's with all the questions about my mother?"

"Just trying to sketch you out a bit more, that's all."

"Oh? And how's the sketch going? Like what you see so far?"

Lara gave him an evil grin. "I haven't seen much, unfortunately."

He laughed at that. They'd both been fully clothed every night going to bed. He'd certainly been disappointed not to see much himself. Turned out she felt the same way. "Pervert."

She gave him an innocent look. "You're mistaken, Mr Trent. I simply appreciate the finer things in life. Like this brandy." _And your body,_ she added mentally, smirking to herself. Nothing like some shameless flirting to take one's mind off impending doom.

Kurtis raised an eyebrow. "You talk a good game, Croft, but you've yet to put your money where your mouth is."

Lara could feel things tighten low in her body as her heart rate picked up. This was getting a bit more direct than their usual flirting. They'd been sleeping in the same bed for several nights now, but neither had made a move, and their romantic encounters remained fairly chaste. A few touches here, some flirting there, and that passionate make out session in the gym two days earlier had been the extent of it. Neither wanted to rush into anything, and both had been preoccupied with the Nephilim situation. That didn't mean Lara hadn't felt the tension between them each night, lying there beside each other pretending they didn't want to rip each other's clothes off. Maybe all that restraint was about to be dropped.

Good. Restraint wasn't really in her nature anyway.

* * *

 **Siem Reap, today**

Lara reached out to restrain Kurtis as he tried to take another step forward. "Woah there, soldier." She had stepped up behind him and grabbed him around the waist. Pressed into his back, she shook her head. "You think we're finished triggering boob traps? Rookie mistake. Take a look up ahead, look closely at the walls."

He did. When he saw what she saw, he couldn't help but feel stupid. He had just nearly gotten sliced up like a piece of salami - the wall was set with giant blades on hinges, no doubt ready to swing out as soon as they were triggered.

He felt like cursing, but instead he reached down to where her hand was, across his abdomen. Covering it with his, he picked it up and brought it this mouth, kissing her palm. Now standing next to him, she looked up at him with suddenly hungry eyes. Then she frowned.

"We said no flirting at work, Kurtis."

He grinned. "You started it."

She rolled her eyes, gently extracting her hand from his grip and turning to the wall behind him. She raised a flare to add to the light from her LED, and illuminated the inscription there. "See? This is the sort of stuff rookies neglect to read, and it usually leads them to..." she glanced ahead to confirm her suspicions. "...Yep, getting their heads chopped off," she finished, gesturing ahead at the skull that lay, forgotten, in a corner near one of the blades. Doubtless the rest of the skeleton was strewn here and there about the tunnel. Kurtis grimaced, turning back to the inscription. "What does it say?"

Lara translated haltingly:

"The Blessed Ones first abandoned the five hindrances, defilements of the mind that weaken wisdom. Follow in the footsteps of the Blessed to find what is sought."

Silence fell as they contemplated the inscription. Lara lowered her flare, frowning. Kurtis noted her cocking her head as she glanced up the tunnel at their obstacles. After a moment she seemed to come to a conclusion, nodding and turning to him. "The hindrances are the sins of Buddhism, if you will. Actions or states of being that prevent one from reaching nirvana. We've already passed the first test by stopping to read the inscription - recklessness is a hindrance."

Kurtis gave her sheepish look.

"I have to imagine that based on that inscription we should be able to work out the sequence of these blades, or how to disable them. Greed, hate, delusion, conceit...those are hindrances, but how could they relate to the traps?"

"It's clear the first blade is at ankle height. That can be cleared easily by hopping, but our friend's skull suggests there might be a surprise waiting for anyone impatient enough to try their luck. Let me test a theory here."

She stood facing the first blade, careful not to step within reach, and knelt. Taking a deep breath, she reached into her pocket and produced a pound coin. Kurtis decided he'd quiz her later on why she brought loose change with her into a tomb.

From where she knelt, her hand shot out and the she threw the coin straight ahead, where it fell into a slot that was invisible from a standing position. Like an ancient vending machine, there was a click and several loud cracks. Then, all at once, six blades slid out from their hiding places. Each blade froze as it reached full extension until they were left staring at a forest of sharpened steel.

Lara stood. "Greed. Nice to see English money is still clunky enough to pass for ancient Khmer currency."

They crawled their way around the blades to the other side without issue, and reached another seemingly clear stretch of tunnel.

It was cool and quiet as they edged forward down the tunnel. Taking careful steps, Kurtis' confidence grew the further they advanced. They had passed all the traps he had seen using farsee, and they weren't far from their prize now.

Had Lara perceived his confidence, she might have warned him that as Werner had decreed: "Disrespect is the route to carelessness." She had more respect for his Khmer brethren of the Order than the think they were through the last of the traps.

As it was, she was so concentrated on her own steps that she noticed his quickened pace too late. Before she could shout his name, the floor under him had started to tremble and shake, and start to give way. Instinct took over and Lara sprinted the distance between them, shoving him clear just as the floor collapsed underneath him. Feeling herself begin to fall, Lara reached out and grabbed the edge of the pit just in time, as Kurtis recovered and lunged for her hand.

He pulled her to safety and they both took a moment to gaze down at the pit, which as Lara had suspected contained a number of nasty-looking spikes. She swallowed audibly. For a moment the only sound was their hard breathing, and the blood pounding in their ears.

Kurtis turned to Lara, overcome with guilt. He shook his head, and cursed fluently, furious with himself.

Lara's first instinct had been to yell at him, but her anger subsided fast when she saw the chamber behind them. She held a hand up to silence him, a smile spreading across her face as her gaze fixed on the prize that was now within their grasp.


End file.
